President Biden welcomes 2024 NBA champion Boston Celtics to White House

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House was tinted green on Thursday, when President Joe Biden — Secret Service code name: Celtic — welcomed “Coach Joe” Mazzulla and the Boston Celtics to the South Lawn to celebrate the franchise’s unprecedented 18th NBA championship.

In a tradition believed to have begun when Bill Russell’s 1963 Celtics met with President John F. Kennedy, Biden welcomed the NBA’s 2024 champions and gave them a tour of the Oval Office. In all, the league’s most-decorated franchise has won at least one title in eight of the last 13 presidential administrations.

“The Celtics aren’t just a basketball team. They’re a way of life,” Biden told the crowd, quoting Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach before receiving a No. 46 jersey from All-Star Jayson Tatum and guard Derrick White.

Biden noted that his Secret Service code name is “Celtic.”

“For real. Because I'm Irish,” the president said. “Everybody behind me is Irish in their heart. I feel a special pride in this trophy. From this old Irish Celtic, to all you Celtics, congratulations.”

Biden, who was once one of the youngest senators in U.S. history and is now the country’s oldest president ever, said he felt a kinship with Mazzulla, who was 35 when he led the Celtics to the title in his second season.

“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.”

The Celtics were greeted with a band playing “Shipping up to Boston,” before Biden and team owner Wyc Grousbeck joined them on the risers facing the Washington Monument; green lights shined from from the eaves of the White House behind them. Among those in attendance were Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and most of the state’s congressional delegation.

“I didn’t really know what to expect. I walked in, I was like 'I’m more excited than I thought I was going be,” White told reporters afterward. “To be in the White House, to be where all the decisions — all the cool things — are happening, that was the best part.”

Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca said Biden's 4-year-old grandson, Beau Jr., tried on his championship ring. (Oshae Brissett, a member of the 2024 team who is not with the Celtics this year, was at the ceremony and received his championship ring on Thursday.)

Biden also received a commemorative basketball, which he passed to Celtics center Al Horford. And then threw back and forth with a member of the crowd.

“I wasn’t expecting a pump fake,” White told reporters. “It’s harder to make a pass in a suit, so I was impressed.”

Biden was well-briefed on the Celtics history and their success last year, when they cruised to 64 wins in the regular season – their most since winning the 2008 title, and the fourth-best in franchise history. They went 16-3 in the playoffs, eliminating the Dallas Mavericks in five games.

Biden even noted that the ’24 Celtics had the highest ratio of points per possession in NBA history – one of the wonkier stats, but one that had team vice president and stats guru Mike Zarren beaming.

“The basketball stats community has come a long way: the President of the United States is talking about points per possession!” Zarren posted on X after speaking to reporters at the ceremony.

Members of the Celtics organization went back into the White House after the festivities to meet with administration officials on pet issues, including “Raise the Age,” which seeks to have 18- to 20-year-olds treated as juveniles in the criminal justice system, and “Curbside Care,” which provides medical aid to new mothers in underserved communities.

“This was a very exciting and moving day,” Grousbeck told reporters in a video call afterwards. “We had not been focused on this. We got through the banner and opening night, and then it was all business. Joe (Mazzulla) doesn’t want us to dwell too much on the past, he wants everyone to focus on moving forward. Having said that, everyone here, including Joe, seemed to have a great time.”

Zarren said he spoke to a Secret Service agent who was a Celtics fan and had to bear with the Golden State Warriors’ visit two years ago.

“He told them it was a bittersweet moment because he wished his Celtics were here. And they said to him, ‘Don’t worry, they’ll be here soon,’” Zarren said. “So for him, it was a good moment to see us show up inside there.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Hunter Biden, second from right, talks with Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, left, following an welcoming the Boston Celtics to celebrate their victory in the 2024 National Basketball Association Championship, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Joe Biden holds a basketball he received from the Boston Celtics at an event to celebrate their victory in the 2024 National Basketball Association Championship, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Boston Celtics Jaylen Brown talk with people following an event with President Joe Biden to celebrate the Celtics victory in the 2024 National Basketball Association Championship, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Joe Biden, center, speaks during an event to welcome the Boston Celtics and celebrate their victory in the 2024 National Basketball Association Championship, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Joe Biden, left, and Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, right, arrive for an event celebrating the Boston Celtics' victory in the 2024 National Basketball Association Championship, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, from left, and President Joe Biden hold up the Boston Celtics' trophy as they pose for a team photo to celebrate the Celtics victory in the 2024 National Basketball Association Championship during an event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Boston Celtics Al Horford, center, poses with guests during an event with President Joe Biden to celebrate the Celtics victory in the 2024 National Basketball Association Championship, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Boston Celtics player Jaylen Brown holds the Boston Celtics championship trophy following an event with President Joe Biden to celebrate the Celtics victory in the 2024 National Basketball Association Championship, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Joe Biden, center, speaks during an event to welcome the Boston Celtics and celebrate their victory in the 2024 National Basketball Association Championship, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Joe Biden throws a basketball he received from the Boston Celtics at an event to celebrate the team's victory in the 2024 National Basketball Association Championship, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

FORESTVILLE, Calif. (AP) — A major storm moving through Northern California on Thursday dropped heavy snow and record rain, flooding some areas, after killing two people and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands in the Pacific Northwest. Forecasters warned that the risk of flash flooding and rockslides would continue, and scores of flights were canceled at San Francisco's airport.

In Washington, nearly 265,000 people — mostly in the Seattle area — remained without power as crews worked to clear streets of electrical lines, fallen branches and debris. Utility officials said the outages, which began Tuesday, could last into Saturday.

Meanwhile on the East Coast, where rare wildfires have raged, New York and New Jersey welcomed much-needed rain that could ease the fire danger for the rest of the year.

The National Weather Service extended a flood watch into Saturday for areas north of San Francisco as the region was inundated by the strongest atmospheric river — a long plume of moisture that forms over an ocean and flows through the sky over land — this season.

The system roared ashore Tuesday as a “ bomb cyclone,” which occurs when a cyclone intensifies rapidly. It unleashed fierce winds that toppled trees onto roads, vehicles and homes, killing at least two people in the Washington cities of Lynnwood and Bellevue.

Communities in Washington opened warming centers offering free internet and device charging. Some medical clinics closed because of power outages.

“I’ve been here since the mid-’80s. I haven’t seen anything like this,” said Trish Bloor, who serves on the city of Issaquah’s Human Resources Commission, as she surveyed damaged homes.

Up to 16 inches (about 41 centimeters) of rain was forecast in southwestern Oregon and California's northern counties through Friday.

Santa Rosa saw 6.5 inches (16.5 centimeters) of rain in the last 24 hours, marking the wettest day on record since 1998, according to Joe Wegman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The Sonoma County Airport, in the wine country north of San Francisco, got more than 11 inches (28 centimeters) within the last 48 hours. The Ukiah Municipal Airport recorded about 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) Wednesday, and the unincorporated town of Venado had about 12.7 inches (32.3 centimeters) in 48 hours.

In nearby Forestville, one person was hurt when a tree fell on a house. Small landslides were reported across the North Bay, including one on State Route 281 on Wednesday that caused a car crash, according to Marc Chenard, a weather service meteorologist.

Rain slowed somewhat, but “persistent heavy rain will enter the picture again by Friday morning,” the weather service's San Francisco office said on the social platform X. “We are not done!”

Dangerous flash flooding, rockslides and debris flows were possible, especially where hillsides were loosened by recent wildfires, officials warned. Scott Rowe, a hydrologist with the weather service in Sacramento, said that so far the ground has been able to absorb the rain in Butte and Tehama counties, where the Park Fire burned this summer.

“It’s not necessarily how much rain falls; it’s how fast the rain falls,” Rowe said.

Santa Rosa Division Chief Fire Marshal Paul Lowenthal said 100 vehicles were stuck for hours in the parking lot of a hotel and medical center after being swamped by thigh-high waters from a flooded creek.

A winter storm watch was in place for the northern Sierra Nevada above 3,500 feet (1,070 meters), with 15 inches (38 centimeters) of snow possible over two days. Wind gusts could top 75 mph (121 kph) in mountain areas, forecasters said.

Sugar Bowl Resort, north of Lake Tahoe near Donner Summit, picked up a foot (30 centimeters) of snow overnight, marketing manager Maggie Eshbaugh said Thursday. She said the resort will welcome skiers and boarders on Friday, the earliest opening date in 20 years, “and then we’re going to get another whopping of another foot or so on Saturday, so this is fantastic.”

Another popular resort, Palisades Tahoe, said it is also opening Friday, five days ahead of schedule.

The storm already dumped more than a foot of snow along the Cascades in Oregon by Wednesday night, according to the weather service.

More than a dozen schools closed in the Seattle area Wednesday, and some opted to extend the closures through Thursday.

Covington Medical Center southeast of Seattle postponed elective surgeries and diverted ambulances after losing power and having to rely on generators Tuesday night into Wednesday, according to Scott Thompson, spokesperson for MultiCare Health System. Nearby, MultiCare clinics closed Wednesday and Thursday after losing power.

In Enumclaw, east of Seattle, residents were cleaning up after their town clocked the highest winds in the state Tuesday night: 74 mph (119 kph).

Ben Gibbard, lead singer of the indie rock bands Death Cab for Cutie and Postal Service, drove from his Seattle neighborhood Thursday morning to the woods of Tiger Mountain for his regular weekday run, but trees were blocking the trail.

“We didn’t get hit that hard in the city,” he said. “I just didn’t assume it would be this kind of situation out here. Obviously you feel the most for people who had their homes partially destroyed by this.”

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee thanked utility crews for toiling around the clock. It could take weeks to assess the scope of the damage and put a dollar figure on it, he said in a statement, and after that “we’ll know whether we will be able to seek federal assistance.”

In California, there were reports of more than 21,000 power outages.

Authorities limited vehicle traffic on part of northbound Interstate 5 between Redding and Yreka due to snow, according to California's Department of Transportation. Officials also shut down a 2-mile (3.2-kilometer) stretch of the scenic Avenue of the Giants, named for its towering coast redwoods, due to flooding.

About 150 flights were delayed and another two dozen were canceled early Thursday at San Francisco International Airport after hundreds of delays and dozens of cancelations the previous day, according to tracking service FlightAware.

Parched areas of the Northeast got a much-needed shot of precipitation, providing a bit of respite in a region plagued by wildfires and dwindling water supplies. More than 2 inches (5 centimeters) was expected by Saturday morning north of New York City, with snow mixed in at higher elevations.

Weather service meteorologist Brian Ciemnecki in New York City, which this week saw its first drought warning in 22 years, said “any rainfall is going to be significant” but the storm will not be enough to end the drought.

Har reported from San Francisco, and Weber from Los Angeles. Associated Press writers Hallie Golden and Gene Johnson in Seattle; Martha Bellisle in Issaquah, Washington; Sarah Brumfield in Washington, D.C.; and Michael Hill in Albany, New York, contributed.

Santa Rosa firefighters attend to a submerged car in a flooded street during a storm Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Santa Rosa, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

A pickup truck makes its way through a flooded street in Santa Rosa, Calif. Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Pedestrians cross a flooded street during a storm Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Santa Rosa, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

A member of an emergency crew walks in knee-deep flooded street during a storm Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Santa Rosa, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

A rescue team help a stranded motorist in a flooded street during a storm Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Santa Rosa, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

A pedestrian walks along a flooded street during a storm Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Santa Rosa, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Workers clear walking paths with snow blowers during a storm Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort in Norden, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

A worker clears a road with a snow blower during a storm Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort in Norden, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

A worker scoops snow from a sidewalk during a storm Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort in Norden, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

Snow is cleared from a road by tractor Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, at Donner Ski Ranch near Truckee, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

A lone skier rides on a lift Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort in Norden, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

A downed tree destroys a vehicle and a property during a storm, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Forestville, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Snow accumulates in front of a welcome center during a storm Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, on Donner Summit near Truckee, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

Salvador Garza shovels snow from the front of his shop Crystal Tones in Mt. Shasta, Calif.,, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, where runoff from rain and melting snow has begun to create standing water after an atmospheric river storm dumped significant precipitation in the area since Tuesday evening. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

A worker clears the entrance to a building with a snow blower during a storm, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort in Norden, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

Flood water is seen across State Route 254 near Redcrest, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

A passenger plane taxies on a water soaked runway at San Francisco Airport while passengers wait for flights on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Andy Bao)

Cars are covered in snow during a storm Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Soda Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

Snow comes down on trees and a road during a storm Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort in Norden, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

A downed tree lands over a property during a storm, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Forestville, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

A person is blocked by a downed tree during a storm, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Forestville, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

A downed tree lands over a property during a storm, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Forestville, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

A vineyard is flooded during a storm, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Forestville, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Emergency crews assess the damage from a downed tree on a property, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in Forestville, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

The drive-thru area of a Taco Bell restaurant is damaged by a fallen tree Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, in Issaquah, Wash., after a "bomb cyclone'"storm brought high winds to the area. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)

A woman was killed after a tree fell on her home during Tuesday night's "bomb cyclone" in severe weather in Bellevue, Wash. (Nick Wagner/The Seattle Times via AP)

People walk their dog as cars maneuver around downed power lines and trees caused by a "bomb cyclone" storm, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, in Bellevue, Wash. (Nick Wagner/The Seattle Times via AP)

People carrying umbrellas while visiting the Golden Gate Bridge are seen through a heart on the window at the Round House Cafe in San Francisco, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

A pedestrian carrying an umbrella walks in front of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Motorists negotiate the snow along I-80 during a storm Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, in Truckee, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

Truckers hole up along the side of I-5 to let the storm pass before the highway is reopened in Weed, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Truck driver Kirill Foken shovels a trench alongside his truck's tires to free it up as he awaits for I-5 to reopen in Weed, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Truck driver Harry Singh of Seattle looks down Shastina Drive where several dozen big rigs were gathered after being stuck overnight in Weed, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

A Pacific Gas & Electric worker pauses while sawing a tree that toppled into power lines during heavy rains on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, in the Occidental community of unincorporated Sonoma County, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Firefighters help a woman from a home after a tree toppled onto it during heavy rains on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, in the Forest Hills community of unincorporated Sonoma County, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

A truck crosses a flooded road Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, in Santa Rosa, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)