President Obama Honors Dallas Mavericks at White House

The Dallas Mavericks have been honored at the White House.

The Dallas basketball team was invited to Washington D.C. to meet with President Barack Obama Monday following their 2011 NBA Championship Victory after beating the Miami Heat, as well as their ongoing support to the men and women who serve in the United States military and their families.

Obama specifically praised series MVP Dirk Nowitzki in the East Room, saying “I think it’s fair to say that we have very rarely seen a better playoff run than Dirk Nowitzki had last year. It was remarkable.”

After addressing a few of Nowitzki’s injuries, Obama quipped “the most painful thing may have been his rendition of ‘We are the Champions’ during the victory celebration.”

Delonte West, a Dallas Mavericks guard, did not attend, following weapons possession charges in September of 2009. West had told some media organizations that he was not allowed to attend the ceremony at the White House, but a Secret Service spokesman said that he was cleared to join the team, according to the Associated Press. West joined the team before the winning season, but was not a member of the championship squad.

The President ended, saying “I told them that it’s too bad that next year it will be the Chicago Bulls here.”