    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [January 28, 2002]
    [Pages 120-121]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Honoring the 2001 National Basketball Association Champion Los
    Angeles Lakers
    January 28, 2002

        Please be seated. Mr. Commissioner, good to
    see you, sir. Thank you for coming. I appreciate the Buss family members
    for being here. Thank you. Welcome to the East Coast. I'm so honored
    that Phil Jackson has come with players from
    the mighty LA Lakers championship team. I want to welcome you all the to
    White House. We're thrilled you're here. This is one way for us to
    congratulate you for being champs.
        I want to thank the members of the California congressional
    delegation. I think we've got six Members here. Thank you all for
    coming. I know you're as proud of the team as the people of California
    are.
        I also want to thank the Boys and Girls Clubs of Atlantic City in
    New Jersey and

    [[Page 121]]

    Maryland for being here. I'm just as excited as you are for meeting
    these players. [Laughter] And thanks for coming.
        I first want to congratulate Coach Jackson
    on learning how to win championships for different teams. He's got to be
    a pretty remarkable guy to figure out how to win on a consistent basis.
    And so, Phil, congratulations for coming back to the White House.
        I also want to thank the players. Being champs on the court means
    you've got to be champs off the court as well. And I know these players
    understand that every time they do something, some kid is watching.
    Every time they say something, some kid is listening. And I want to
    thank the players who understand that with victory comes huge
    responsibility to encourage people to make the right choices in life. To
    me, that's the true sign of a champ. I also want to thank the LA Lakers
    for being involved in your community.
        People ask me all the time after the attack of 9/11, ``What can I do
    to help? How can I participate in the war against terror?'' And the
    answer is, you fight evil with acts of decency and kindness. You fight
    evil by doing something good. You fight evil by teaching a child that
    somebody loves them. You fight evil by being an LA Laker that convinces
    somebody to be a mentor for some child in inner-city Los Angeles who
    wonders whether there's any love or hope in the world. That's how you
    fight evil. And so I want to thank the organization and the players and
    the coach for assuming a position of responsibility in our society.
        I was hoping that on his birthday, Mark Madsen would dance for us. [Laughter] I actually--as I said, I
    was hoping. [Laughter] I'm afraid the Secret Service might react
    violently if you did. [Laughter]
        But I'm glad you all are here. It's an honor to welcome champs to
    the people's house. LA Lakers, good luck this year. Congratulations for
    two fabulous seasons. Welcome.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:10 a.m. in the East Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to David Stern, commissioner,
    National Basketball Association; and Jerry Buss, owner, Phil Jackson,
    coach, and Mark Madsen, forward, Los Angeles Lakers.