Cavaliers avoid talk of politics to enjoy White House visit

WASHINGTON — The Cleveland Cavaliers' championship celebration at the White House on Thursday was exactly what it should have been. A celebration.

There was no talk of President-elect Donald Trump (other than a few questions from reporters). No talk of the election. No talk of political agendas. Just President Obama and the reigning NBA champions and their families gathered on the Executive Mansion's South Lawn, commemorating one of the NBA's most historic championships.

As has become the norm during White House championship visits, Obama's speech was sprinkled with witty one-liners. Most notably, he wasted no time taking a shot at Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith for actually wearing a shirt — something that he has become notorious for not doing over the past few months.

President Obama's 5 funniest jokes from the Cleveland Cavaliers visit to the White House

"Before I go any further, want to give a special thanks to J.R. Smith’s shirt for showing up," Obama said. "I wasn’t sure if it was going to make an appearance today. I’m glad you came. You’re a very nice shirt."

In between those one-liners, he praised the team — from Smith to center Tristan Thompson to LeBron James — calling the latter "one of the great players of all time."

"When you see LeBron James, it is not just his power and his speed and his vertical. It is his unselfishness, it is his work ethic, it is his insistence on always making the right play, it is his determination. ... (James) is a player and this is a team that knows what this title means to Cleveland. This is a city that’s, throughout sports history, been through a lot. The Fumble. The Drive. (Michael) Jordan over (the Cavaliers' Craig) Ehlo. A whole lot more. But through it all, Cleveland was always 'Believeland.' "

Obama praised the team for its efforts off the court, too.

NBA diaries: Q&A with Luke Walton

"The Cavs have always given back to their fans and the community that’s been so loyal to them," he said. "Over the last 22 years, they’ve given more than $23 million to local charities. And more than just the money — players and coaches made about 200 visits annually to schools, hospitals, food kitchens and more, including assisting educational programs that reach more than 100,000 kids in Northeast Ohio.

"And these Cavs exemplify a growing generation of athletes that are using their platforms to speak out. We’ve seen Kevin (Love) on combating campus sexual assault; LeBron on issues like gun violence and working with Michelle (Obama) to help more kids go to school, go to college. His foundation is doing something incredible — paying college tuition for 1,100 kids from Akron."

You can see Obama's full remarks here.

Follow AJ Neuharth-Keusch on Twitter @tweetAJNK.