The day many thought might not happen finally arrived. There was always some doubt that LSU’s visit to the White House might not go ahead. Angel Reese, the team star and unofficial leader, very publicly beefed with the White House after comments made by Dr. Jill Biden. Reese went as far as to joke about visiting the Obamas instead before confirming that she would respect the team’s decision to visit the White House.
The first sports teams to be invited to the White House were two amateur baseball teams in 1865. It quickly became a tradition amongst professional teams. In 1976, the Indiana Hoosiers Men’s Basketball team became the first collegiate visitors to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. It has since become an annual tradition for collegiate champions to visit the President in the months after their title.
LSU Mark Memorable White House Visit
Of course, the final chapter of the LSU’s White House saga wouldn’t be complete without a little drama. During President Biden’s remarks, freshman forward Sa’Myah Smith fainted. She was immediately swarmed by her team as the live stream cut out. However, President Biden could be heard reassuring the crowd. Later, Biden apologized, “It’s a lot of standing,” Biden said. “I apologize. It’s OK. It’s happened lots of times.” A few minutes later, head coach Kim Mulkey gave a quick update on Smith. “As you can see, we leave our mark where we go,” Mulkey said. “Sa’Myah planned that. No, Sa’Myah is fine, for those of you who are concerned. I’ll assure you of that. … She doesn’t want to leave. She wants to stand with us but she needs to be checked out.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Biden and Angel Reese appeared to squash their beef. Reese presented the Bidens with a custom LSU jersey before embracing the first lady, Dr. Jill Biden. Dr. Biden had been the primary target of Reese’s wrath after the National Championship Game. This was due to Dr. Biden’s comments that appeared to imply that she intended to invite National Runners-up Iowa to the White House as well. However, the two appear to have no bad blood now.