President Barack Obama, returns to the White House after playing a game of basketball with members of his staff and guests at Interior. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
by Mark Silva
President George W. Bush had his mountain bike.
President Barack Obama has his basketball.
The former president would slip out of the White House on a Saturday morning, if slipping entails a high-speed motorcade, and head for the woods.
This morning, on a cold and overcast day in Washington, the president and friend Marty Nesbitt (pictured here), wearing sweat suits, climbed into the presidential SUV at the White House for a short ride around the Ellipse in a slow-speed motorcade to the Department of Interior.
Obama aide Reggie Love, riding in another SUV, carried the first basketball.
"Who knew they had a basketball court?'' the Dallas Morning News' Todd Gillman, performing Saturday pool duty, wrote of the trip.
Like the former president's weekly bike rides, which were performed out of eyesight of the pool reporters, the president's game on the court at Interior was played in private. The outing ran a little under two hours.
It might have been a rough game: Nesbitt, who had joined the president in taking in a game of the Bulls and Wizards the night before at the Verizon Center, wore a brace on his right leg and walked with a limp as they returned to the White House.
Press aide Ben Finkenbinder's T-shirt was darkened with sweat from his first basketball game with the boss, and played the event like a dutiful press aide would: No details on the players, score or highlights of the game.
(Photo of the president's friend, Martin Nesbitt, returning to the White House after a basketball game at the Deparment of Interior, by Pablo Martinez Monsivais) / AP. With thanks to print pooler Todd Gillman).
Comments
Thank god we don't have to watch Bush pretend to clear brush at his fake ranch anymore.
Pres Obama is actually a pretty good hoops player.
Posted by: Rinse and Repeat | February 28, 2009 3:33 PM
Bubba Porter.....Yes...I saw the "bloated one" speak. Have to say if this is what your party represents.....then the republican party is absolutely disgusting. It is obvious who the enemy of America is.....and it is you!
Posted by: bill r. | February 28, 2009 5:24 PM
That should be "First Basketball," not "first basketball."
;-)
Posted by: Badger | February 28, 2009 7:07 PM
bill r, did the druggie explain that ridiculous shirt he was wearing?? I can't listen to him, but stumbled onto it for a sec. As someone else said, I'm sure glad he didn't try to be trendy and go sleeveless.
Posted by: rupert | February 28, 2009 7:49 PM
The Supreme Court bldg. has a gym and BB ct, or at least it used to.
It was called "The Highest Court in the Land".
OK, that's enough.
No more dog stories, no more BB,
unless of course
they are about the late great NVL.
Posted by: ornery | February 28, 2009 11:22 PM