After a week of back-and-forth, LSU’s women’s basketball team will be visiting the White House to celebrate their NCAA championship win.
Shortly after star player Angel Reese said her team would not accept an invite to Washington, D.C., on the I Am Athlete podcast earlier this week, University spokesman Michael Bonnette confirmed to the Associated Press that LSU will indeed take the commander-in-chief up on his offer.
And on Friday morning, Reese, 20, appeared on ESPN’s SportsCenter, where she said she will be attending the forthcoming White House visit with her team. “In the beginning, we were hurt — it was emotional because we know how hard we worked all year for everything,” Reese said.
“You don’t get that experience [to go to the White House] ever, and I know my team probably wants to go for sure and my coaches are supportive of that, so I’m going to do what’s best for the team, and we’ve decided we’re going to go,” she added. “I’m a team player. I’m going to do what’s best for the team. I’m the captain.”
Bonnette, who did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for confirmation, did not detail which players from the national champion team will attend, or when the visit will take place.
Reese had been upset because first lady Dr. Jill Biden suggested that both women’s teams from the NCAA Tournament final, the Louisiana State University Tigers and Iowa Hawkeyes in Dallas, be invited to the White House.
“So I know we’ll have the champions come to the White House, we always do,” Jill, 71, said, according to CNN.
“So, we hope LSU will come but, you know, I’m going to tell Joe [Biden] I think Iowa should come, too, because they played such a good game,” she added.
Traditionally, only the national champions receive an invitation to the White House. If Iowa had also received an invitation, it would be the first time both title game teams were offered the opportunity.
After hearing about Biden’s dual invitation, Reese retweeted a story about it and called it “A JOKE,” with three laughing emojis.
LSU guard Alexis Morris also chimed in, suggesting the team celebrate their win with former first lady Michelle Obama instead. Reese reshared Morris’ tweet and wrote, “THAT’S THE TWEET,” in agreement with her teammate.
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