As of now, I am in control here, in the White House

Tag Archives: obama basketball

Obama B-Ball is CLOSED to the Press

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President Obama plans to shoot some hoops tonight after a fundraising dinner co-hosted by Michael Jordan. The White House has barred reporters.

I would assume both Obama AND Jordan want the press kept far away. Obama because he could only look much worse than Jordan, and Jordan because he could only look much worse than himself.

Tickets for the dinner, which will include other present and former NBA players, are $20,000 per person, which is part of the reason why I can’t make it.

I think there are a couple of $3 raffle winners who will also attend and get to shoot some hoops with Obama and Jordan. That’s how the contest was billed.

Actually, Obama is quite good at basketball.

Certainly beats those videos we used to see of Bill Clinton jogging around like a ripe tomato.

Here’s a sport Obama definitely should not be filmed participating in.

Obama, For Three . . . No!

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Look, I’ll give him credit, he hit the rim every time, which is not something I would necessarily do. Or you – you know who you are!

But, you know, I’m sure he just figured he’d walk up and sink one, because there’s no way he’d have given this golden gift to his enemies otherwise.

Basketball Stars to Play in “Obama Classic” Fundraiser

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Magic Johnson will lead retinue of professional basketball players who will play in a December 12 fundraiser to benefit President Obama’s reelection drive, according to an announcement on the Obama campaign website.

Tickets start at $200 for general admission and head up to $500 a piece for “premium lower deck” seats and $5,000 to sit courtside.

Among those listed for the event, billed as the “Obama Classic,” are both men’s and women’s stars, as well as retired greats like Magic Johnson and Patrick Ewing. Here are the names on the list so far, with more to be added:

Ray Allen – Carmelo Anthony – Chris Bosh – Vince Carter – Tyson Chandler – Jamal Crawford – Kevin Durant – Baron Davis – Patrick Ewing – Derek Fisher – Rudy Gay – Blake Griffin – Tyler Hansbrough – Juwan Howard – Antawn Jamison – Earvin “Magic” Johnson – Dahntay Jones – Brandon Knight – Kevin Love – Jamal Mashburn – Cheryl Miller – Alonzo Mourning – Dikembe Mutombo – Hamady Ndiaye – Chris Paul – Paul Pierce – Quentin Richardson – Doc Rivers – Steve Smith – Jerry Stackhouse – Amare Stoudemire – Tina Thompson – John Wall – Russell Westbrook

“Special guest coaches” like filmaker Spike Lee will also be on hand.

The stars will have plenty of time to play hoops for Obama since they’ve been on strike and don’t go back to work until Christmas. The Monday afternoon game starts at 4 pm.

Can a NASCAR race for the eventual GOP nominee be far behind?

Basketball with the Girls Today

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And some of their friends. From the pool report.

I gather the guard and the Interior Department didn’t recognize A PRESIDENTIAL MOTORCADE  when he sees it . . .

Actually looks like maybe something inside didn’t seem kosher.

At 10:05 a.m. in a light drizzle, the motorcade rolled for the 2 minute trip to the Interior Department basketball court.  Just before the 14 vehicle package left the White House grounds, a mother and young daughter walked up the driveway toward the presidential SUV.  The young woman appeared to be a contemporary of Sasha Obama.

That was our clue that the basketball outing would include at least one of the President’s daughters.  Moments before the motorcade departed, four young women entered one of the SUVs.  From your pooler’s vantage point, it could not be determined whether one or both of Mr. Obama’s daughters was on the outing.  Pool minder Katie Hogan said she could only confirm that this was a basketball outing involving at least one of the presidential daughters.  Ms. Hogan said she did not know whether the outing involved just one or both of the daughters and if only one, which one.

When the motorcade arrived at the Interior Department, there was a brief, unexplained delay, before the barrier to the underground garage was raised and the presidential SUV and several other Secret Service Vehicles entered.

The pool is now holding in vans outside the Interior Department.

Dave Cook
The Christian Science Monitor

Obama Does Basketball This Morning

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If the president was thinking golf, the notion was washed out by the otherwise welcome sight of rain in formerly sun-drenched Washington. So he’s playing hoops at Fort McNair. The only known participant in this morning’s presidential recreation is personal assistant Reggie Love.

According to pooler Derek Wallbank of MinnPost, there is no sign today of NBA players or other such fabulous people who were on hand for his birthday game last month.

It’s Good to be the King

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Well, just when everyone was feeling sorry for President Obama because his wife was away for his birthday, he made real damn friggin’ delicious lemonade out of lemons – if these were ever lemons in the first place – and invited a kids’ fantasy team over to play basketball.

Here’s who came to play.

Pau Gasol, Carmelo Anthony, Shane Battier, Chauncey Billups, Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Grant Hill, LeBron James, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Maya Moore, Alonzo Mourning, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Bill Russell, Etan Thomas, Dwyane Wade, and David West.

Kobe didn’t play since that would have been like introducing a nuclear weapon into the French and Indian War.

Nice touch adding Maya Moore of the WNBA in. I mean, maybe Obama didn’t mind having her around, but she’s clearly there to keep people like me from haranguing that he’s running with his wolf pack as usual and girls ain’t allowed.

Some were invited to nosh later at a  barbecue for the birthday boy. And we’re told they are being served GULF Shrimp. Awwwww. I’m going to bribe one of the White House kitchen staff tomorrow to get a number on how many uneaten shrimp were thrown out, or served to the help.

So while Michelle was vacationing in the Spanish Riviera, the president summoned a dream team of courtiers to entertain him. Just a few weeks ago, you’ll remember, there was an all star rock concert in the East for the the president’s amusement, featuring Sir Paul McCartney dissing the previous, detested ruler.

It’s damn good to be the king.