Baller-in-Chief

By Claude Johnson

This just posted by KCRA Channel 3 Sacramento Online:

Mayor Johnson Invited To Breakfast With Obama

Sacramento Mayor Scheduled To Visit White House

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson is scheduled to have breakfast Friday with President Barack Obama.

According to Johnson spokesman Steve Maviglio, they’ll discuss the effect of the federal stimulus package on the city of Sacramento. Johnson will depart for Washington, D.C. from Oakland on Thursday night.

Johnson attended Obama’s inauguration in January. There was a contingent of California leaders at the event in Washington to secure California’s part of the economic stimulus package.

On less formal issues, the former NBA star has said he would “skunk” the president in a pickup game of basketball.

Is it just me or does it seem as though Mayor Johnson just got called to the principal’s office? Will he get a White House smackdown comeuppance?  That would be for those “skunk” remarks (full video below), made just a few weeks ago:

At the time, I wrote this:

In my opinion the recent comments by Kevin Johnson about how he would “skunk” Barack Obama in a game of basketball make him seem arrogant, selfish, and insecure.

And this:

With these comments it’s as if Johnson is overcompensating.  It raises questions.

Instead, he could have taken a coaching-style approach.

“We could play, and I would likely beat him because my skills are still very good, after all I was a professional, an All Star, at a whole different level than a pickup player,” Johnson could have said.  “But what I’d rather do is work with him on some of the skills he wants to improve, and maybe in return for that he’ll look favorably on Sacramento.”

So, seeing as he’s headed to Washington, maybe (wishful thinking) Johnson read my blog post and changed his approach.

More likely, he came up with a less “in your face” style on his own.  Look, if you are a former All Star point guard in the N.B.A., I know it must be hard to turn off that switch — so I feel you K.J.

But still. You’re a mayor now.  Your city needs the positive effects of the federal stimulus package.

I’m glad it seems that his wisdom prevailed.

Or, maybe he just got called in for a discussion.

UPDATE (2/20/2009: 12:30 p.m.)

In all seriousness, it looks like Kevin Johnson was invited to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, hosted by President Obama at the White House today.

Obama warns mayors not to waste stimulus money

WASHINGTON – Invoking his own name-and-shame policy, President Barack Obama warned the nation’s mayors on Friday that he will “call them out” if they waste the money from his massive economic stimulus plan.

“The American people are watching,” Obama told a gathering of mayors at the White House. “They need this plan to work. They expect to see the money that they’ve earned — they’ve worked so hard to earn — spent in its intended purposes without waste, without inefficiency, without fraud.”

More…

But, I still think Johnson is going to get pulled aside … :-)

UPDATE (2/21/2009: 12:00 a.m.)

From the Sacramento Bee, “Vice President Joe Biden wants Johnson, a former NBA star, to be the ringer on his pickup basketball team.”

Johnson, who campaigned for Obama, said the president spotted him in the audience and waved to him from the podium.

“He was so gracious,” Johnson said. “He came up to me and said, ‘Congratulations. I’m glad you won. Are you enjoying it?’ I said, ‘I am.’ He said, ‘What you’re doing is so important, you’ve got to keep it up, I promise I’ll come out to visit Sacramento in the not too distant future.’ I’ll hold him up to that one.”

And Johnson said he offered his help to Biden.

“I talked to the vice president,” Johnson said. “He said, ‘I know who you are.’ He said, ‘The president is always trying to get me to play a pickup game with him. And he told me I could pick who I want. So are you down to be on my team? You’ll be the ringer.’ And I said, ‘Hey if you need me, call on me, I’ll be ready.’ “