(From Rashad Mobley at Hoops Addict)
This article was originally run on July 30, 2008, when Barack Obama was still in a hotly contested battle for the White House with John McCain. Now nearly six months later, not only has Obama been elected, but as of January 20, 2009, he officially has the title of President.
Given the magnitude of that event, and the effect President Obama will possibly have on the world in the next four year, Hoops Addict thought it would be interesting to re-run this article. Enjoy!
The year 2008 has been a breakthrough year for Illinois Senator Barack Obama. Earlier this year, he was able to defeat New York Senator Hilary Clinton in a tightly-fought battle for the Democratic Nomination. In winning that nomination, he became the first African-American to ever hold the position, and instantly became a serious contender for the next Presidency of the United States. Since then, Obama has traveled all over the United States giving dazzling speeches in an effort to convince everyone that he is indeed the right choice for the next four years.
But there is another side of Obama that is just as impressive as the nominations, the speeches and the accomplishments: his love for playing the game of basketball.
Obama’s love of the game has been on display on various spots on the campaign trail this year. In April he played a bit of pickup basketball at the University of North Carolina, with an impressive group of players including the 2008 Naismith Award Winner, Tyler Hansbrough, Danny Green and Ty Lawson. Head coach Roy Williams presided over the scrimmage.
The quicker and stronger UNC players proved to be a bit too much for Obama, as he went scoreless the entire scrimmage. He took several outside shots, but none of them fell on this day. At one point, one of the UNC players fouled him, and then quickly apologized. Obama jokingly told the player “The Secret Service won’t do anything to you.”
Just a month or so earlier than that, Obama played ball at Fort Bragg Army Base in North Carolina. Bryant Gumbel and a camera crew from HBO’s Real Sports were there to get a glimpse of his skills on the basketball court. Instead of facing young college players half his age, Obama got the chance to play with older gentlemen whose skill set closely resembled his.
It was clear from the start that Obama was comfortable with this group of players. His jumper was on, he set up teammates for open shots, and while his defense left much to be desired, he showed a a certain aggressiveness on the boards. When it came time to take the winning shot, the leader in Obama came out, as he took the ball, drove and scored on a layup. His stat line for that game was four points, three rebounds, five assists, a steal, a block and two turnovers.
Last week while was visiting and speaking to the U.S. troops at Kuwait Camp Arjifan, he made it a point to fit some basketball into his schedule. Unlike his previous trips when he actually played in a game, this time Obama was simply limited to shooting jumpers for the cameras.
Prior to his first jumper, he looked back at the camera and viewing audience and said “I may not make the first one, but I’ll make one eventually”.
Two seconds and two dribbles later, he drained the shot and gave the audience his signature smile.
“That’s it,” Obama joked. “I don’t think I should shoot anymore.”
Obama cut his teeth with the game of basketball long before he ever aspired to be a politician, let alone a presidential candidate. He was the second man off the bench for Punahou High School in Hawaii back in 1979 and wore number 23 long before Jordan made that number famous. His nickname back then was “Barry O’Bomber” because of his lethal outside shot. Obama only played one year of varsity basketball, but that just so happened to be the year his team advanced to and won the State Championship.
When asked to assess Obama’s basketball ability back then, his high school coach, Chris McLachlin, told HBO’s Real Sports that “Obama wasn’t the most talented, or the tallest, but he constantly worked hard. He was the first in the gym and the last one to leave.”
Although that work ethic did not lead to any further basketball greatness for Obama, in real life that work ethic got him a Harvard Law Degree, a seat in the Senate, and now a Democratic Nomination putting him on the brink of being elected President. Not a bad tradeoff.
Having seen footage of Obama play on three different occasions, I would compare his game to Boston Celtics’ guard, Eddie House. Both guys are listed at 6?1 and although House is right handed and Obama shoots with his left, they both have lightning quick releases, and can get their shots off no matter who is in front of them. Like House, Obama does not have the best ball-handling ability, and is prone to playing matador defense at times. When double-teamed or forced to pick up his dribble, Obama showed the ability to make the correct pass without causing a turnover. Lastly, and more perhaps most importantly, when it comes time to take the big shot, Obama, like House, wants to be the one taking and making the big shot.
November 4, 2008 will be the day of the presidential election, and it will also determine the fate of Senator Barack Obama. If he wins, he will become the 44th president of the United States. If he loses, he will be forced to regroup and decide what to do with the remainder of his life. Considering the beginning of November is also the start of the NBA season, perhaps he could convince the Washington Wizards or the Chicago Bulls to sign him to 10-day contract. That doesn’t sound like a bad consolation prize at all.
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