‘I just remember waking up pretty scared’: LSU’s Sa’Myah Smith says she’s ‘awesome’ after passing out during Biden’s White House speech to the NCAA champions, but admits she can’t help herself remember that she passed out along with her teammates
- LSU freshman basketball player Sa’Myah Smith says she’s fine after passing out
- Smith doesn’t remember passing out, but does remember waking up frightened
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LSU freshman basketball player Sa’Myah Smith says she felt good shortly after passing out in front of Joe Biden at the White House on Friday, but admits she doesn’t recall fainting when the president addressed the 2023 national champions.
‘I’m great, much better than before’ Smith told NoLa.com. “I don’t remember exactly how everything happened. I just remember waking up pretty scared. The last thing I remember is saying to one of my coaches, “Hey, I think I’m passing out.”
Smith was standing next to her teammates in the East Room of the White House on Friday when she began to feel light-headed. After passing out, she was wheeled out of the room in a wheelchair while her coach, Kim Mulkey, assured everyone that she was fine.
Biden took the opportunity to fool himself by saying, “It’s a lot of standing. I apologize. It’s OK. It’s happened many times.’
In a statement, LSU explained that Smith felt overheated and nauseated before passing out. She will undergo further evaluations in Baton Rouge.
LSU freshman basketball player Sa’Myah Smith says she felt good after passing out on Friday
LSU’s Sa’Myah Smith is helped off stage after appearing to collapse in the East Room
Smith, a 6-foot-2 forward from Desoto, Texas, averaged 4.6 points per game for LSU in 2022-23
She did get an old-fashioned leather basketball, which Biden signed.
“Sa’Myah,” Biden’s note began, “it was great (to) have you in the White House. You are the best. / Joe Biden 5/26/23.”
A six-foot forward from Desoto, Texas, Smith averaged 4.6 points per game for LSU in 2022-23 en route to the Lady Tigers’ national championship.
“People, we were witnessing history,” Biden said of LSU. “In this team we saw hope, we saw pride and we saw purpose. It is important.’