Baller-in-Chief

(From Michael McAuliff for The Daily News Online)

(Official White House/Pete Souza)

President Obama invoked China’s biggest export — or, at least tallest — to get the ball rolling at a summit on China-U.S. relations this morning, quoting Houston Rockets center Yao Ming.

“Of course, as a new President and as a basketball fan, I have learned from the words of Yao Ming, who said, ‘No matter whether you are new or an old team member, you need time to adjust to one another,’” Obama said. “Well, through the constructive meetings that we have already had, and through this dialogue, I am confident that we will meet Yao’s standard.”

Right now, Yao’s standard is rest and a year of rehab to repair a broken foot, so let’s hope the China talks go a little better than that.

(From AllAfrica.com)

This quip by President Obama was near the beginning his departure speech today at Kotoka International Airport:

You know, your President and I have a lot in common. We’re both lawyers, we’re both former law professors, we’re both new presidents. (Applause.) We both like to think of ourselves as athletes. The difference is President Mills played hockey on the national team of Ghana, and I played basketball mostly in my backyard. (Applause.)

(From ANSA Online)

G8: Obama, Lula talk soccer

“You’ll never come back from 2- 0 down again”

(ANSA) – L’Aquila, July 9 – United States President Barack Obama and Brazilian President Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva took time out from weightier issues Thursday to talk about the USA’s gutsy defeat to Brazil in last month’s Confederations Cup Final.

”We’ll never let your players overturn a 2-0 lead again,” Obama quipped after receiving a Brazil shirt from Lula.

The White House said the Brazilian president enjoyed Obama’s remark because it showed he wasn’t just interested in basketball.

Five-time world champions Brazil came back from 2-0 down to beat the USA 3-2 on June 28.

Photo: The two leaders at the White House in March.

(From Jake Tapper for ABC News Online)

Hoopster-In-Chief Plays “Horse” In Italy

Italian organizers built President Obama a special half-court basketball court at the police complex in L’Aquila where heads of state attending the G8 Summit are currently staying.

President Obama used the court for a game of “horse” with aides David Axelrod and former Duke University hoopster Reggie Love on Wednesday afternoon before the G8 working dinner, a White House official told ABC News.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi moved the G8 conference from a resort in Sardinia to this central Italian town devastated by an April earthquake in an effort to revitalize the area and bring attention to the more than 50,000 locals who are still homeless.

President Obama and his fellow world leaders are being housed in refurbished buildings in a police barracks while their spouses and families are enjoying nicer quarters in Rome.

By Claude Johnson

ForeignPolicy.com suggests the funny rhetorical title question in an article earlier today about the G8 Summit in Italy:

Before the G-8 summit began, intrepid Guardian reporter John Hooper infiltrated the L’Aquila barracks hosting world leaders and discovered a makeshift basketball court constructed especially to make Barack Obama feel welcome.

As Hooper’s quick photo makes clear, it is little more than a portable hoop on some concrete, but given that L’Aquila is an earthquake zone and that there was doubt Italy would finish its preparations in time for the summit, host Silvio Berlusconi deserves some credit for trying.

Each G-8 leader was limited to an entourage of 25, but that should be more than enough to get some real games going during the breaks. If anyone actually plays, will the game help blow off steam or add to the drama?

Hat tip: The indispensible Baller-in-Chief

What’s funny is wondering at what height the Italians set the adjustable rim on the portable basket, which could indeed result in some dunking.

Would a 7-foot rim be low enough for the shortest G8ers, Nicolas Sarkozy (France), Silvio Berlusconi (Italy), Dmitry Medvedev (Russia), Taro Aso (Japan), and Angela Merkel (Germany)?  The others — Obama (U.S.A.), Stephen Harper (Canada), Gordon Brown (UK), Fedrik Reinfeldt (Sweden), and Jose Manuel Barroso (President of the European Commission) — seem to tower over the others.

What could be even funnier is if they had Berlusconi-style cheerleaders for such a game, or games, if they ever even take place.