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    Seattle Storm Visit President Joe Biden at White House to Celebrate 2020 WNBA Title

    Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerFeatured Columnist IVAugust 23, 2021

    WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 23: (L-R) U.S. President Joe Biden accepts a jersey from Jewell Lloyd and Breanna Stewart during an event with the 2020 WNBA champions Seattle Storm in the East Room of the White House on August 23, 2021 in Washington, DC. The Storm defeated the Last Vegas Aces in the 2020 WNBA Finals to win their 4th title as a franchise. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
    Drew Angerer/Getty Images

    The Seattle Storm were honored Monday at the White House by President Joe Biden to commemorate their 2020 WNBA championship.

    They were the first WNBA team since the Minnesota Lynx in June 2016 to travel to the nation's capital for a celebratory visit.

    WNBA @WNBA

    Say Champs! πŸ“ΈπŸ†<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> takes a selfie with the <a href="https://twitter.com/seattlestorm?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@seattlestorm</a>. <a href="https://t.co/YFZv3sJpdG">pic.twitter.com/YFZv3sJpdG</a>

    Seattle Storm @seattlestorm

    πŸ‘‹ Hello, <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>! πŸ‘‹ <a href="https://t.co/3UIVIcuXzh">pic.twitter.com/3UIVIcuXzh</a>

    As part of their trip, the Storm said they would meet with the White House Gender Policy Council to help advocate for social justice causes and raise awareness of the COVID-19 vaccine.

    The WNBA has set the standard for major sports leagues in terms of social advocacy.

    Throughout the 2020 season, members of the Storm and every other WNBA player wore Breonna Taylor's name on the back of their jerseys. Taylor was shot and killed by police in her home in Louisville, Kentucky, in March 2020.

    Players across the league also began supporting Raphael Warnock's candidacy for the United States Senate after then-Atlanta Dream co-governor Kelly Loeffler criticized the Black Lives Matter movement. Warnock beat Loeffler in a runoff election in January.

    While speaking about the franchise, Biden highlighted Seattle's achievements away from the court, per ESPN's Kelly Cohen:

    "And what makes this team remarkable is they don't just win games. They change lives. Encouraging people to get vaccinated so we can beat this pandemic. Speaking out and standing up for racial justice and voting rights. Supporting education and mentorship programs for young people. And fighting to protect trans youth from an epidemic of violence and discrimination. That's what winners do: They shine the light, they lift people up, they're a force for change."
    Seattle Storm Visit President Joe Biden at White House to Celebrate 2020 WNBA Title
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    Biden is an alumnus of Syracuse University and couldn't help but press Breanna Stewart on why the 2018 WNBA MVP spurned her hometown school for UConn:

    WNBA @WNBA

    .<a href="https://twitter.com/S10Bird?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@S10Bird</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/breannastewart?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@breannastewart</a>, &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/jewellloyd?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jewellloyd</a> present <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> with an honorary <a href="https://twitter.com/seattlestorm?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@seattlestorm</a> jersey πŸ§‘πŸ’š <a href="https://t.co/GHhFCngXld">pic.twitter.com/GHhFCngXld</a>

    Before too long, the Storm might be seeing the Oval Office once again. 

    Seattle is 18-7 through 25 games and won the inaugural Commissioner's Cup earlier this month. The team is the second betting favorite (+220; bet $100 to win $220) behind the Las Vegas Aces (+210) to win the 2021 WNBA Finals, per FanDuel.

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