(applause)

Welcome to the White House, and give it up for

the World Champion, Cleveland Cavaliers!

(applause)

That's right, I said "World Champion" and

"Cleveland" in the same sentence.

(applause)

That's what we're talking about when we talk about

hope and change.

(laughter)

We've got a lot of big Cavs fans here in the house --

(applause)

-- including Ohio's Governor, John Kasich, and

his daughters, Emma and Reese.

We got some outstanding members of Congress

that are here.

And obviously we want to recognize Cavs owner Dan

Gilbert, who put so much of himself into trying

to make sure this thing worked.

(applause)

One of the great general managers of the game,

David Griffin.

(applause)

And the pride and joy of Mexico, Missouri --

Coach Tyronn Lue.

(applause)

I, also, before I go any further, want to give a

special thanks to J.R. Smith's

shirt for showing up.

(laughter)

I wasn't sure if it was going to make an

appearance today.

I'm glad you came.

You're a very nice shirt.

(laughter)

Now, last season, the Cavs were the favorites in the

East all along, but the road was anything but stable.

And I'm not even talking about what

happened on the court.

There were rumors about who was getting along with

who, and why somebody wasn't in a picture, and

Lebron is tweeting, and this was all big news.

But somehow Coach Lue comes in and everything

starts getting a little smoother, and they

hit their stride in the playoffs.

Yeah, everybody can sit down, I'll be here for awhile.

(laughter)

They start winning their first 10 games in the

playoffs, setting record after record for

three-point shooting.

But obviously what this all comes down to is a

team that, for the first time in NBA history, comes

back from being down 3-1 in the finals -- the first

team in history to dig themselves out of

a hole like that.

(applause)

And, I should add, that by knocking off the Warriors,

they cemented the 1996 Bulls as the greatest

team of all time.

(laughter)

So your President thanks you for that.

Now --

(baby cries)

-- I know, that's funny, isn't it?

Yes, it is.

See everybody is happy when their team wins.

The comeback was remarkable -- and you

learn about people when they're down -- against a

historically good Warriors team.

Cavs won Games 5 and 6 by double digits.

You had both LeBron James and Kyrie Irving becoming

the first duo ever to score 40 points

apiece in a Finals game.

(applause)

And then, in Game 7, the Cavs fall behind on the

road, only to fight back and lock up the title

with an unbelievable two minutes.

There was "The Block" -- what LeBron has said

was the defining play of his career.

(applause)

"The Shot" by Kyrie putting the Cavs up five.

"The Stop" by Kevin Love.

(applause)

Boy -- I mean, was moving.

(laughter)

I hadn't seen defense like that.

But it wasn't just those outstanding players, not

then and not throughout the year, because this was

always a team effort.

J.R. always seemed to hit those shots -- you know, "No,

no, don't shoot that!"

and then it goes in and, "Man, that a great shot."

(laughter)

You got Tristan Thompson who has as great of a

motor as anybody and put in the extra work to teach

himself how to shoot free throws with the wrong hand.

I should have tried that with some bill

signings around here.

(laughter)

You got Channing Frye who came in right over the

trading deadline and changed the tone of the

locker room, and his sharpshooting.

Richard Jefferson, Dahntay Jones providing leadership

and giving inspiration to all of us old people that

you can still do something at that age.

Iman Shumpert playing not only great defense and

scoring, but also delivered his wife's baby

in the bathtub, using a pair of headphones to tie

off the umbilical cord.

Now, that's something right there.

(laughter)

That was an all-star move.

Got the MacGyver flat top, which we miss.

(laughter)

And of course, there's the guy LeBron calls his

"favorite player of all time" -- James Jones.

(applause)

The two were a package deal -- six straight

finals appearances.

Their names even go together: LeBron James Jones.

(laughter)

But the truth is, LeBron wouldn't be LeBron without

his teammates -- Kyrie, Kevin, Tristan.

Michelle's brother, who was an excellent

basketball player, always says that you can learn a

lot about somebody's character by the way they

play basketball.

And 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 -- all of

which makes him one of the great players of all time.

And you saw it in those last three games, put up

some of the most staggering statistics in

Finals history.

He did it the year before despite injuries, dragging

his team along to make a very competitive series.

You saw it when this kid from Akron broke down and

fell to his knees when he realized that he had

finally fulfilled a promise that he had made

all those years ago and delivered that

championship back to Northeast Ohio.

(applause)

So this 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.

Jordan over Ehlo.

A whole lot more.

But through it all, Cleveland was always

"Believeland."

And that's why the Cavs have always given back to

their fans and the community that's been so

loyal to them.

Over the last 22 years, they've given more

than $23 million to local charities.

(applause)

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.

(applause)

And these Cavs exemplify a growing generation of

athletes that are using their platforms to speak out.

We've seen Kevin on combatting campus sexual

assault; LeBron on issues like gun violence and

working with Michelle 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.

(applause)

I should mention that, as we were walking out, Dan

Gilbert has been unbelievable in the work

he's been doing in Detroit -- his hometown --

and giving back.

And finally, earlier today, the Cavs met with

Attorney General Loretta Lynch, and my senior

advisor, Valerie Jarrett, to discuss steps they're

taking to help build understanding between law

enforcement and the Cleveland community, part

of a league-wide effort to build stronger communities

all across the country --

(applause)

-- including holding open conversations so we can

begin to bridge divides and defuse tensions, and

see each other as one American family.

It's really important work.

It's one -- just one of a number of recent efforts

we've been proud to partner with the NBA

during my time as President.

From the league's support of My Brother's Keeper

initiative, to the mentoring initiatives, to

Michelle's Let's Move!

and Joining Forces efforts, the NBA has been

a model for positive change, and the fact that

it's not just a responsibility of

government, it takes all of us -- businesses,

nonprofits, athletes, role models, working together

to achieve the progress that we seek.

So I know that Cleveland could not be happier

and prouder of having this trophy.

But this was already a championship group of

guys, even before last year, and you should be

very proud of them.

(applause)

Give it up for the world champs one last time.

(applause)

You guys got anything to say?

Come on, Kevin.

Mr. Love: So from the 2016 World Champion Cleveland

Cavaliers, we wanted to present this '16 Obama jersey.

The President: I like this.

Mr.Love: Come on, guys.

You got anything else?

The President: Now, the only thing is, though, I

don't -- these sleeves get tight.

Can I tear these out?

(laughter)

Can I rip them?

MR. LOVE: You can rip them.

The President: Can I rip them?

Mr. Love: Ron rips them.

I'll show you exactly how to do it.

(laughter)

The President: I'm joking.

(inaudible)