NCAA women's basketball champion LSU has a memorable White House visit
LSU national championship women’s basketball team was all smiles Friday after the team’s ceremonial visit to the White House to meet President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.
Even LSU freshman forward Sa’Myah Smith, who fainted midway through Biden’s speech praising the national champions. White House staff rushed to help Smith, who was taken from the room by wheelchair.
"As you can see, we leave our mark where we go. Sa'Myah planned that," Mulkey said the audience at the reception. "No, Sa'Myah is fine, for those of you who are concerned. Sa'Myah is fine, I'll assure you of that. She's kind of, right now, embarrassed. She doesn't want to leave. She wants to stand with us. But she needs to be checked out."
Smith told WBRZ sports reporter Michael Cauble afterwards she remembered a couple of details before passing out.
“I remember telling my coaches I think I’m going to pass out,” Smith said. “It was kind of hot.”
Smith later received a special gift, a basketball autographed by Biden.
In her comments during the ceremony, Jill Biden celebrated the progress of women’s sports under Title IX.
“We’ve made so much progress, and we still have more work to do,” she said. “As I watched, I felt the history of that moment of all the women before you who dared to be fast and furious, who ignored the critics and just played. I thought about every little girl who will come after how you show them that they belong on the court.”
After the Tigers’ runaway national title over Iowa, Jill Biden said Iowa should also be invited to the White House after praising Iowa’s sportsmanship.
Since the White House has usually hosted only champions, LSU center Angel Reese’s immediate reaction was tweeting a link to a story on Jill Biden’s comments and said, “A JOKE” adding three rolling-on-floor-laughing emojis.
Reese said she would decline an invitation to the White House but later said she would go because it’s what’s “best for the team.”
On Friday, Reese and Jill Biden hugged.