Charles Barkley rips defending NBA champion Nuggets for canceling White House trip: 'You should always go'

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The Denver Nuggets have decided not to make the trip to the White House, a standard for defending champions.

The 2022-23 NBA title winners were originally slated to visit President Biden in January, but he needed to reschedule to March 18.

Now, just over a week until the date, the Nuggets have canceled due to scheduling conflicts of their own.

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Jamal Murray, #27, and Nikola Jokic, #15 of the Denver Nuggets, celebrate during the 2023 Denver Nuggets Championship Parade on June 15, 2023, in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Nuggets face the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 19 in Minnesota. Denver, Minnesota and the Oklahoma City Thunder are all within one game of each other for the top seed in the Western Conference.

TNT NBA insider Chris Haynes reported that Denver is skipping the White House trip because they are "prioritizing that No. 1 seed."

"They’re really trying to do all that they can to get into that spot heading into the playoffs," Haynes said on Thursday night. 

"It was clearly a basketball decision. . . . The Nuggets wanted to do it, but the schedules just didn't work out."

However, Hall of Famer Charles Barkley said the Nuggets are making a mistake.

"Are they flying Southwest or something? Come on, man. I actually have a problem with this whole thing that’s happened in sports the last few years, not just now," Barkley said on Thursday, hinting that teams skipped visits with former President Donald Trump. 

The Denver Nuggets pose for a photo after winning Gme Four of the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers on May 22,