    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
    [February 27, 2007]
    [Pages 202-204]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Honoring the 2006 National Basketball Association Champion Miami
    Heat
    February 27, 2007

        Thank you all. Please be seated. It is such a joy to welcome the NBA
    champs, the Miami Heat, to the White House. Glad you all are here. This
    is the Miami Heat's first NBA championship. I congratulate you on a
    tremendous achievement, even though you beat a Texas team. [Laughter]
        I can assure you, however, then-Governor Bush,
    the Governor of Florida, was thrilled, as were a lot of Florida fans.
    We've got a lot of members of the congressional delegation in the room.
    We got you a Senator here. We
    got Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen, Alcee
    Hastings, Robert Wexler, Ander Crenshaw, Jeff
    Miller, Kendrick Meek, Ron Klein, and Tim Mahoney. Thank you all for coming.
        Most importantly, we got members of the Miami Heat family with us
    today. I'm really proud of Micky Arison and
    Madeleine, who is with us, as well as
    Nick. As you know, I used to be in pro
    sports. I never had the pleasure of winning anything. [Laughter] Must be
    pretty cool. [Laughter]
        I welcome Pat Riley, the president and head
    coach of the Heat. I welcome Randy Pfund, the
    general manager. I want to thank all the folks who make the organization
    run: the equipment people, the people that figure out how to get you to
    the plane on time, the folks who never really get much credit for making
    a franchise become a championship franchise. And we welcome you all
    here.
        I want to say something to the spouses of the players: Welcome.
    You've got a tough life, in many ways, with your spouse on the road all
    the time, and you deserve as much of this championship as they do. And
    so we welcome you here to the White House as well.
        All the fans who are here: Thanks for coming. These players did
    something that they weren't supposed to do. Remember, they went into the
    Eastern Conference championship as the underdog. Nobody thought they
    could win. And then they get against the Mavericks, and they're 2 down
    and 13 points behind with minutes remaining--7 minutes remaining in the
    third game. In other words, they lose that game; it's over. They weren't
    supposed to win. And they did something no team has done in nearly 30
    years, which is win four straight and become the NBA champs. And your
    fans are really proud of you.
        This is a team with some of the NBA's bright stars. Dwyane
    Wade led the team in scoring--most valuable
    player in the finals. He was on the--sportsman of the year for Sports
    Illustrated. All it said was,

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    Dwyane Wade plays to win. Unfortunately, he hurt his shoulder. I know a
    lot of NBA fans, whether they like the Heat or not, are pulling for
    Dwyane to get back into action. We wish you a speedy recovery.
        Or take Alonzo Mourning. A lot of folks
    here in DC remember Alonzo Mourning. I don't know if the people
    understand it, but Alonzo had a kidney illness that a lot of folks said:
    ``Well, he'll never get back on the court again.'' He not only got back
    on the court; he blocked a lot of shots--[laughter]--which helped this
    team become the NBA champ.
        And then, of course, probably one the most well-known figures in the
    United States of America is a fellow that's hard to miss--[laughter]--a
    fellow Texan--[laughter]--big Shaq. He
    scored his 25,000th point in his career last night--or recently. And we
    congratulate you for that--last night, yes, last night. And--but he was
    an important figure in seeing to--seeing this team to the championship.
        But as Coach Riley gave me--he said: ``Just
    remember, the motto wasn't, `Each star matters'; the motto was, `15
    strong'.'' In other words, it was a team effort that got these men here
    to the White House. Yes, they had the stars; everybody knew who they--
    who the stars are, but it was the capacity to play together, to put the
    team ahead of themselves, that enabled them to be here at the White
    House, saying, ``Congratulations, NBA champs.''
        And I appreciate very much--[applause]. So they asked Dwyane Wade--he was the fellow that was the Sports
    Illustrated man--he said, ``We did this together.'' In other words, he
    recognized, in spite of the fact that he had a fine series, that he
    couldn't have done it without his teammates.
        Pat Riley had a lot to do with this team
    playing as a team. A team requires a good, solid leader in convincing
    people to put the team ahead of themselves. And that's exactly what Pat
    Riley has done. I'd say he's accomplished. After all, he's won seven NBA
    rings; that's all. [Laughter] They asked him about this ring, and I
    think it's interesting what he said. He said, ``I would have traded them
    all for this one.'' He cares about this team. And obviously, the players
    responded to his leadership.
        But what impresses me the most about the Miami Heat is their work in
    the community. That's what impresses me about them. I mean, I'm in awe
    of their athletic skills. Standing next to Shaq is an awe-inspiring experience. [Laughter] But I
    want to share some of the stories of these players and what they have
    done in their communities.
        Alonzo Mourning dedicated his entire
    salary from the Heat to charities that help low-income kidney patients
    and underprivileged youth. It wasn't 10 percent--[applause]. I would
    suggest not popping up on every story--[laughter]--because you're going
    to be tired. [Laughter] This is a giving team. [Laughter]
        Antoine Walker founded the Eight
    Foundation to provide education and sports opportunities for inner-city
    kids in his hometown of Chicago. He came from Chicago; he's putting
    something back in the community from whence he came.
        Dwyane Wade has given a lot of his salary to
    his church. He donates basketball shoes to a youth sports program at his
    alma mater, which happens to be Marquette University. He founded Wade's
    World Foundation, which gives children educational and social
    opportunities, such as the chance to spend the day at Disney World.
        And then, of course, you've got the big man, Shaq. He works as a reserve police officer with the Miami
    Beach Police Department. He gives new meaning to the phrase ``the long
    arm of the law.'' [Laughter]
        Heat players volunteer their time in all kinds of causes, ranging
    from reading to drug prevention to youth basketball. This is a
    championship team on the court, and this is a championship team off the
    court,

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    and it is my high honor to welcome to the White House as the NBA champs.

    Note: The President spoke at 3:52 p.m. in the East Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida;
    and Micky Arison, owner, Nicholas Arison, limited partner, and Shaquille
    O'Neal, center, Miami Heat.