President Barack Obama honored the Miami Heat Monday for winning the 2012 NBA championship.
According to the Associated Press, Obama was very proud of the team for snagging a victory after missing the mark the year before. But perhaps the Commander-in-Chief was most impressed with how some of the team’s players take their roles as fathers seriously. “For all the young men out there who are looking up to them over time, for them to see somebody who cares about their kids and is there for them, day in, day out, that’s a good message to send,” said Obama.
Dwyane Wade and LeBron James presented Obama with an autographed basketball and a No. 44 jersey during the ceremony. Wade jokingly remarked that his team could offer the president a 10-day contract as a shooting guard.
James was humbled by being in the White House. “We’re kids from Chicago and Dallas, Texas and Michigan and Ohio,” said James. For him and a number of other players, arriving to the White House to meet the president was a happy and memorable experience. “Mama, I made it,” said James in closing.
James later tweeted a photo of himself with President Obama saying, “A kid with a dream from Akron, Ohio. Now chopping it up with Prez. Life is good.”