Barack Obama's 'Starting 5' surprisingly snubs Kobe Bryant & other Lakers legends for 2X NBA champ
Aside from being recognized as the former United States president, Barack Obama is also known as a massive basketball fan. In a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, he revealed his personal starting lineup in promotion of his Higher Ground's "Starting 5" docuseries. However, he didn't include Lakers legend Kobe Bryant on his list, as well as Shaquille O'Neal or Magic Johnson.
All 10 episodes of the popular basketball docuseries are now available to watch on Netflix. It details the on- and off-court 2023-24 journeys of Jayson Tatum, LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, Jimmy Butler and Domantas Sabonis.
"I'm going to talk about my favorite starting five," Obama said. "If I just put together a team where I would enjoy watching it, and I think they'd beat anybody. ... MJ, Michael Jordan, at shooting guard. I'd put LeBron at point forward.
"But I want a little shooting and a little flair. I'm going to put my friend Steph Curry into the mix because we're in the 3-point era ... At center, I'm going to put Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon, whose game I think translates to this game. This last spot is tough. ... I've got to go with Kevin Durant, KD."
Former United States President Barack Obama invited Kobe Bryant and the 2010 Lakers team to the White House after they secured the championship against the Boston Celtics. When Bryant and his daughter Gianna died on Jan. 26, 2020, he was one of the many people who expressed his condolences.
The "Black Mamba" is widely recognized as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He played in 20 seasons with the LA Lakers, where he helped bring five NBA championships while also winning two Olympic gold medals with Team USA.
Barack Obama revealed his past dream job of being an NBA player
In promotion of Netflix's "Working: What We Do All Day," Barack Obama shared his past dream job to be an NBA player. His comments were shared on his Instagram handle on May 31, 2023.
"First job (was) Baskin-Robbins in Honolulu, Hawaii," Obama said. "As a kid, I'd tell adults that my dream job was to be an architect. But secretly, I was convinced I'd be an NBA player. I had no hops."
His lack of athleticism to meet the demands of the profession eventually set reality in motion for his dream job.