Collegiate Women’s Basketball Player Collapses During Joe Biden Address

Louisiana State University’s national championship-winning women’s basketball team visited the White House Friday.

Joe Biden hosted a ceremony and gave an address to the team.

During Biden’s speech, one of LSU’s players collapsed.

WATCH:

Someone seems to have fainted during Joe Biden's remarks. pic.twitter.com/1vONvyzjqS

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 26, 2023

“It’s a lot of standing, I apologize, ” Biden said.

WATCH:

LSU women's basketball player Sa'Myah Smith faints while President Biden delivers remarks at the White House. pic.twitter.com/hKRccCBGou

— CSPAN (@cspan) May 26, 2023

According to reports, freshman forward Sa’Myah Smith was the player who fainted during Biden’s address.

LSU basketball star Sa’Myah Smith collapses during the middle of Biden speech https://t.co/mRrR5sWxeO pic.twitter.com/oX4Er0zexg

— New York Post (@nypost) May 26, 2023

From the New York Post:

President Biden’s White House celebration of the Louisiana State University women’s basketball team went sideways Friday afternoon when freshman forward Sa’Myah Smith collapsed during his remarks.

The 80-year-old president was left standing awkwardly at his East Room lectern for about six minutes as Smith was treated and removed from the room in a wheelchair.

“This is not the first time it has happened,” Biden said after the event resumed. White House guests have fainted in the past and required a check-up at a doctor’s office built into the executive mansion.

Smith, from DeSoto, Texas, played in all 36 games for the Tigers, averaging 4.6 points per game as the team won its first ever women’s basketball championship last month.

Daily Mail added:

The player, freshman forward Sa’Myah Smith, is doing fine, according to LSU head coach, Kim Mulkey.

‘Sa’Myah Smith planned that,’ Mulkey joked after taking the microphone from the President. ‘No, Sa’Myah is fine for those of who are concerned. Sa’Myah is fine, I’ll assure you of that. She’s kind of embarrassed. She doesn’t want to leave. She wants to stand with us, but she needs to be checked out.’

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Biden joked that others have fainted during his speeches: ‘It’s a lot of standing. I apologize. It’s okay. It’s happened lots of times.’

Angel Reese and her teammates were at the White House to celebrate their title win over Iowa and gift some LSU jerseys to Joe and Jill Biden, albeit after some initial reluctance on behalf of the Tigers top star.

The invite to LSU became a source of controversy this year after the First Lady Jill Biden said in a speech that the defeated Iowa Hawkeyes should also come to the White House ‘because they played such a good game’ in the NCAA final on April 2.