President Barack Obama welcomed your NBA champion Miami Heat to the White House on Tuesday afternoon, reliving the glory that was the 2012-13 season and Ray Allen's Game 6 shot and poking fun at Mario Chalmers.
Obama, who is known for being a big basketball fan and has hosted LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in previous White House pickup games, welcomed the team for the second consecutive year for the traditional ceremony reserved for respective pro sports champions.
During the ceremony, Obama brought up the biggest moment in last year's finals, when Ray Allen hit a game-tying, season-saving three-pointer against the San Antonio Spurs just when the Heat was on the brink of elimination, calling it "one of the most iconic shots of all time."
"With five seconds left," Obama says, "Chris Bosh gets an incredible offensive rebound, passes it out to Ray, he's backing up, he has to jump forward, hits one of the most iconic shots of all time."
Obama also brings up Allen's infamous moment when he yelled out, "Get those fucking ropes outta here!"
"Then [Ray Allen] added a few choice words about the ropes, which we cannot repeat here. Ray -- I do want you to know, when you say those things on the court, people can read your lips. You do understand that?"
Obama also brought up the Heat's quest to win a third straight title and how he relates to them.
"They've now won twice, but they've gone to the finals three times. Sometimes it feels like they're still fighting for a little respect. I can relate to that."
The president brought up the organization's commitment to local charities, as well as its work with veterans.
"They also showed what heart means off the court," Obama said. "Last year, they raised close to $2 million for local charities. Before this event, they met with some of our amazing wounded warriors over at Walter Reed, and we're proud to have some of those wounded warriors here in the audience here."
But the best moment of the ceremony came at Mario Chalmers' expense, when just before the team took their photo with the POTUS and his gifted jersey, Obama said, "We should make it quick before one of these guys starts yelling at Mario [Chalmers]. Sometimes it's just a bad pass, guys, it's not Mario's fault. I've got your back, man."
It was the Heat's third overall visit to the White House since 2006. Last year, team President Pat Riley was unable to attend after he came down with the flu. But this year, Riles was there to hand Obama the jersey and take part in the festivities.
President Obama gives the Miami Heat a White House welcome http://t.co/tFhGZNhPMb via @PoliticalTicker pic.twitter.com/9TU6oA5e6j
— CNN (@CNN) January 14, 2014Coach Erik Spoelstra with a gift from the team to @BarackObama: http://t.co/CYoRqDOcit @MiamiHEAT pic.twitter.com/us1QJWG4TP
— NBC 6 South Florida (@nbc6) January 14, 2014Send your story tips to the author, Chris Joseph. Follow Chris Joseph on Twitter
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