LDN - Sports

Canada's Trudeau hands out gifts to remind Americans who won NBA title

[June 21, 2019] WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday took a break from high-level Washington talks to gently remind his American hosts that, for the first time ever, a basketball team from Canada had won the NBA title.

Trudeau turned up to a meeting with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi bearing gifts with the logo of the Toronto Raptors, who beat the defending champion Golden State Warriors in the National Basketball Association Finals.

The Warriors are based in Pelosi's home state of California.

Trudeau made the gesture even though he had won a friendly wager between the two politicians on the outcome of the series.

"Canadians are gracious in defeat and even more gracious in victory. I put together a little bit of Raptors swag. I don't expect you to wear it," he told Pelosi with a smile. The two of them then raised a T-shirt with the Raptors logo.

Pelosi had earlier presented Trudeau with a basket containing Californian delicacies such as wine, chocolates, almonds, walnuts and pistachios. She also congratulated him.

Trudeau was in Washington for talks with Pelosi and U.S. President Donald Trump on trade and China.

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Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, hands a gift to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as they settle a wager on the Toronto Raptors defeating the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. June 20, 2019. REUTERS/Al Drago

Trump, asked by reporters before his meeting with Trudeau whether he would invite the Raptors to the White House, replied: "Congratulations, by the way. That was a great job by a great team. If they'd like to do it, we'll think about that."

(Reporting by Richard Cowan, writing by David Ljunggren; editing by Bill Berkrot)

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