Obama to honor NBA champ Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers will be honored at the White House at 11:15 (Pacific time) today for winning last season's NBA championship.

The team, coach Phil Jackson and Hall-of-Famer Magic Johnson, will be joined by President Barack Obama for the ceremony in the Palm Room, according to White House officials and team spokesman John Black.

The team's White House visit is expected to last about an hour. It will come one day before the Lakers face the Washington Wizards in the fourth game of an eight-game, 12-day road trip.

The visit will be the Lakers' first at the White House since January 2002, their only visit during their three-peat tenure.

"Regardless of who's in office and what your political affiliations are, it's still an honor to meet the person running the country and it's something I'm definitely looking forward to," Laker guard Derek Fisher told reporters last week.

Often unconventional Laker forward Ron Artest, who was not a member of last season's championship team, had a different view about meeting Obama.

"I'm not that excited to meet him because I look at him as a regular person," Artest said. "That's how he comes across on TV. He doesn't come across as somebody that can't be touched, that's not going to be warm and welcoming."

Obama called Jackson in June to congratulate him on winning his record- setting 10th championship as a head coach. They also discussed the keys to the Lakers' success and Obama's interest in the Lakers' triangle offense, according to the White House.

Obama, who played on Hawaii's high school state championship team in 1979 and still plays basketball with cabinet members, other government officials and friends, told Jackson he has admired him since he coached the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s.

Jackson donated $2,300 to Obama's primary campaign in 2007, the maximum amount allowable under federal law, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant fan, Tony Sedastian of Hicksville, N.Y., shows his support prior to a New York Knicks against the Lakers NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 22, 2010, in New York.

Obama had predicted that the Lakers would defeat the Orlando Magic in six games in last season's best-of-seven NBA finals, one more game than they actually needed.


相关中文报道：

《美联社》消息，美国总统奥巴马于今天在白宫接见湖人，并且表彰了他们在篮球场上所取得的成就，以及为社会做出的贡献。

事实上奥巴马自己就是一名相当狂热的篮球迷，在真正看到这支篮球场上的卫冕冠军时，奥巴马相当兴奋。上赛季的湖人在联盟当中所向披靡，他们在总决赛里击败魔术夺冠，这也是他们队史上第15次夺冠经历。

奥巴马表示，他在看到湖人主教练菲尔-杰克逊的时候相当激动，毕竟“禅师”手里拥有10枚总冠军戒指，是NBA历史上最伟大的主教练之一。奥巴马的家乡就在芝加哥，是90年代公牛王朝的铁杆球迷。不过“禅师”在进入白宫之后见到奥巴马，并没有将他在公牛时代所获得的6枚总冠军戒指亮出来给总统看。

“你还能记得当初的日子。”奥巴马总统提到了前湖人超级球星“魔术师”约翰逊，因为1991 年总决赛上正是公牛击败了“魔术师”带领的湖人，才开始夺冠的。奥巴马在接见湖人的时候，不只是表扬了他们在体育界上的成就，同时也提到了他们在篮球场外所作出的工作。就在美国时间周一的当天，湖人的球员们便在华盛顿地区的学校创办了一家医院，并且有不少人为海地地震进行了捐款。

最后湖人还给奥巴马赠送球衣作为纪念品，在一件黄色的湖人队服背后印下奥巴马的名字，以此来表达他们也将总统当成自己队内的一员。