Barack Obama reveals how LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose were a part of a pick-up tournament organised by the former POTUS for his 49th birthday.
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It is no surprise that Barack Obama was an avid basketball fan. The former President of the United States had a great relationship with the NBA and was often spotted at several league events.
Not many might know it, but apart from merely watching games, the 44th American President would quite often play basketball. Back in the 1970s, Obama had played on the junior and university teams at Hawaii’s Punahou School and eventually won a state championship in 1979.
Even once he was elected as the President, the left-handed shooter would often play hoops, however this time he would play with and against some of the NBA’s all-time greats. Magic Johnson and Scottie Pippen are some of the legends to have shared the court with Barack. In an interview on the “Armchair Expert” podcast, Obama revealed how he once played a secret pick-up tournament with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose in the White House.
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“LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose featured in an All-Star Game held on my 49th birthday”: Barack Obama
During his tenure as the president, Obama would often display his love for the game of basketball. One such event organised was on his 49th birthday, where a secret pick-up tournament was held inside the White House. On his recent podcast appearance, the 59-year-old disclosed:
“For my 49th birthday, we had an All-Star Game that was just kind of for us. LeBron came. Dwyane Wade, and Derrick Rose; all these amazing NBA players. Each team had three NBA players and two amateurs. All my high school friends came over. We had this round-robin tournament, and we had Wounded Warriors who we invited to watch; we signed autographs and gave shoes away afterwards.”
“One of the perks of being president is, you can invite people to the White House and they show up.”
“Having LeBron suddenly guard you – this mountain of a human – you never feel so small and weak. “You just pass the ball, or hand it to him and say here, I’m not worthy.”
“Team sports at its best is a great equalizer,” Obama said about his love for the sport. “There were coaches’ favourites and some politics behind the scenes…but basically, when you were on the court it was like, how did you play, rather than who you were.”
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