team, the world champion, Miami Heat.

For many teams that come here -- this is a lot of cameras in one

place -- it's a little overwhelming.

(laughter)

But for the Heat, this is what practice looks like.

Dwayne Wade: It feels great to visit the White House, period.

But to come here as champions, it feels great.

You know, especially to have a president that loves the game of

basketball the way that we do, makes it even more exciting.

So we're honored to be here.

And I think the history that we learned like growing up,

and when you're finally here, it kind of takes you back.

You're like, oh, my God, I remember learning this in

Social Studies, back in the day.

So, you know, it's great to now be here and kind

of see everything.

Shane Battier: This is something that's very special.

It's something that you watch every year, the champions coming

to the White House, and it's something you dream about.

And this is one of the great parts of winning a championship

in your sport.

The President: This team traveled a long road to get to where they are.

In 2011, the Heat got all the way to the finals,

only to come up short.

But when you fall, the real test is whether you can ignore

the naysayers, pick yourself up and come back stronger.

And that's true in basketball, but it's also true in life.

That's exactly what these guys did.

That team mentality, with everybody doing their part,

is what finally put the Heat over the top.

Erik Spoeltra: We hope you know that our team was a symbol of inspiration in

the nation for a group that sacrificed their egos for a

greater goal to be able to persevere through a lot of

adversity and to have a hardhat working mentality

to be able to do it.

This is a culmination of all that work.