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The 2024 NBA champion Boston Celtics were feted at the White House as President Joe Biden congratulated the team even though he was unsure who they were.

The lame-duck president hosted the reigning NBA champions on the South Lawn on Thursday, checking their name during his remarks and spilling his Secret Service code name.

“You’re the Celtics, right?” he asked the players who politely chuckled but may have wondered if the 82-year-old was serious.

He also cracked a joke about how they happened to be at the White House.

“I didn’t know any of these guys behind me, but they just showed up. I don’t know where the hell they came from,” Biden said.

(Video Credit: Forbes Breaking News)

“The Celtics aren’t just a basketball team. They’re a way of life,” Biden said.

The president welcomed “Coach Joe” Mazzulla and the Boston Celtics, gave a tour of the Oval Office, and received a No. 46 jersey from All-Star Jayson Tatum and guard Derrick White.

“Joe’s the youngest head coach to win a title since the great Bill Russell,” Biden said. “I told him I used to be the youngest and now I’m the oldest. I liked being the youngest better.”

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, and members of the state’s congressional delegation were also on hand for the event.

Whether intentional or not, the president let slip his Secret Service code name at one point in his speech.

“All of you may not know this, but my Secret Service name is ‘Celtic.’ For real, because I’m Irish,” Biden said. “Everybody behind me is Irish in their heart. I feel a special pride in this trophy for this old Irish Celtic. To all you Celtics, congratulations.”

The president’s code name has been “Celtic” throughout his presidency “and even dating back to his vice presidency under President Obama, according to Britannica.,” Fox News reported.

The Celtics team visited the White House in 1963 as John F. Kennedy became the first president to host an NBA champion.

“Part of that wonderful tradition, celebrating the power of sports to bring people together. It’s a tradition that I’ve had the honor to continue. No matter the sport. What these champions all have in common are core values. … Hard work, teamwork, respect, and the knowledge that no one of us is ever as good as all of us can be when we’re together,” Biden noted.

The team evidently had a jersey for Vice President Kamala Harris as well, though she was nowhere to be seen for the event.

Frieda Powers
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