WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden drew on his Irish roots on Thursday when he welcomed the NBA’s 2024 champions, the Boston Celtics, to the White House to celebrate the team’s record-setting season.
“My Secret Service name is ‘Celtic’ because I’m Irish,” Biden told those gathered for Thursday’s event, referring to the agency’s practice of giving code names to those it protects.
“Everyone behind me is Irish in their heart,” the president continued, speaking of the 2024 Celtics team standing behind him on the White House South Lawn on Thursday. “I feel a special pride in this trophy.”
The president went on to note something he was “surprised to learn” on Thursday: John F. Kennedy, the only other Irish-Catholic U.S. president in history besides Biden, was the first to welcome an NBA championship team to the White House when he hosted the Boston Celtics in 1963.
The 2024 Celtics defeated star Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks in five games in June to take the NBA title and secure their 18th championship in franchise history, setting a new league record.
The win made Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla, who was 35 in June, the youngest to notch a title since famed Celtics player and coach Bill Russell more than 50 years ago.
“Now I’m the oldest, I liked being the youngest better,” said Biden, who was once one of the youngest senators when he was elected at 29 and is now the nation’s oldest president.
Biden celebrated his 82nd birthday just a day before Thursday’s celebration.
The president went on to call Boston’s championship crew “one of the deepest teams of all time.”
“You put in the work and clocked one of the greatest seasons ever,” he added.
He also commended the team ‘s work off the court in the Boston community to fight injustice, expand education, register voters and provide health care to infants and mothers.
Guests – many sporting Celtics gear and other green accessories – gathered on the White House South Lawn on a chilly Thursday afternoon for the celebration. Among those in attendance were Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Katherine Clark, both wearing green apparel.