The Seattle Storm are coming off their third WNBA championship in franchise history, and it appears the team isn't interested in visiting the White House.
The Storm haven't received an invitation from President Donald Trump yet and the Minnesota Lynx were not invited last year after winning the 2017 title, but according to Seattle star guard Sue Bird, the team wouldn't go even if it were invited.
"At this point, it doesn't even really need to be discussed," Bird said Friday, per ESPN. "It's come up. We paid attention to what happened with Minnesota not getting invited. Everyone knew when everything happened with Steph Curry and LeBron [James] on social media, all that stuff. We all pay attention, and we watch.
"So it wasn't an actual conversation where we sat down and said, 'Hey guys, what do you want to do if this happens?' First of all, we wouldn't have, because you can't do that until you win. You don't want any bad juju. But I think it's safe to say we all kind of were on the same page with that."
Bird has visited the White House multiple times throughout her career. She made the trip after winning an NCAA championship at UConn, and she visited when the Storm won their second title in 2010. She said the invitation isn't the same now and it "doesn't feel exciting."
"I've been really fortunate to go, and it's exciting," Bird said. "You're going to the White House. I remember first walking into the room to meet President Obama and the aura. ... It's insane. Now, that's not what the case is anymore. It doesn't feel exciting. Nobody wants to go. It's totally changed. And that's disappointing, because it used to be, like I said, something that most athletes would look forward to."
