Hail to the chief! Barack Obama‘s finishing up his eight year stint as President of the United States. By many accounts, Obama’s been been one of the most successful presidents we’ve had. He’s also been one of the most athletic and the best subtle trash talkers.
But it goes deeper than 44 watching ESPN every morning in the Situation Room. You wouldn’t think so, considering he’s been the leader of the free world for the past eight years. But beneath that Chicago law professor exterior beats the heart of a true athlete. Here’s some of President Obama’s best sports moments over the last two terms.
Barry the Baller
President Obama’s well-known for his love of basketball, he turned the White House tennis courts into a basketball court. For him, it started during his high school years in Hawaii, and continued through the 2008 election. He’d regularly stop for pick-up games on the campaign trail, and the tradition continued through both terms as President.
Of course when you’re Barry the Baller you’re not gonna get much competition from White House staffers and the occasional Congressman. NBA legends of past and present have visited President Obama. Sometimes they bore gifts, like how LeBron and the Miami Heat gave him a custom jersey in 2013. Remember when he clowned then Miami Heat member Mario Chalmers about LeBron always yelling at him during games?
He also wasn’t afraid of a good old fashion basketball analogy to illustrate his dominance during an election year. In 2012, President Obama compared himself to the Miami Heat and cast Republican candidate Mitt Romney as Jeremy Lin.
Last May, Obama channeled Kobe Bryant’s retirement as he hosted the final White House Correspondence Dinner of his term. The speech itself was filled with hilarious quoatables, but his ending words resonated with sports fans everywhere.
Obama followed Lakers legend Kobe Bryant’s lead, gracing us with a mic drop along with the words, “Obama out.”
He also trash talked Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry. Obama touched on Curry’s record setting three pointers in the 2015 season, but he also let everyone know that Klay Thompson, and not Curry, had the prettier J
“[Klay’s] jumpshot is a little prettier. I mean, I’m just saying,” said Obama. He also reminded the world that he defeated Steph on the golf course that summer too.
