"Had to make special rules for him" - Fans hail tales of Barack Obama's legendary basketball skills after viral interaction with Anthony Edwards
Barack Obama has long been hailed as a basketball savant, keeping himself close with some of the NBA stars during his presidency and even after serving his term. In a clip from Netflix’s documentary "Court of Gold," the former U.S. president linked up with Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, who introduced himself as “The Truth” in the Team USA roster.
Displaying his marquee confidence, Edwards taught that he was being undersold in the star-studded Team USA roster, prompting him to tell Obama about how he thinks of himself in a viral exchange.
“Man, y’all better stand down. I’m the truth,” Edwards told Obama.
“You said you’re the truth, yeah?,” Obama asked.
“These boys know,” Edwards then said pointing at Joel Embiid.
The two had then a lengthy back-and-forth, which touched on numerous topics such as Edwards’ team, the Timberwolves team composition, and other NBA-related stuff. After the clip made rounds on social media, fans were quick to point out Obama’s basketball brilliance.
Some stories have even floated suggesting Barack Obama’s basketball abilities were on par with other hoopers, especially as he played competitive basketball during his high school years:
“I've been telling yall Obama is a real hooper My dad used to play w him at UChicago when Obama was a prof. He was better than anyone on the UC team. He used to dominate all the Big Law/IB guys at the East Bank Club in the 90s. They had to make special rules for him & everything,” one fan said.
Others reaffirmed that Barack Obama is a student of the game and a real player:
“By all accounts dude could truly hoop and knows ball. Love seeing him pop up now at hoops events when he does!,” another fan said.
“Helluva President too,” another fan wrote.
Meanwhile, others praised Barack Obama for his basketball knowledge in front of bonafide NBA superstars.
“Real ball knower,” a fan said.
“Craziest thing here is Obama being locked into the Wolves roster He was gonna name the whole squad,” another fan said.
“Say what you want about his politics. But Obama is one cool dude,” said another fan.
Edwards, obviously a star, was crucial in bringing the gold medal to Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he averaged 12.8 points in a little over 16 minutes per game. Edwards played alongside NBA superstars Steph Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Joel Embiid to sweep the six-game tournament, punctuated by their win against hosts France in the gold-medal game.
Barack Obama called himself “hooper-in-chief”
Before Team USA flew to Paris last year, Barack Obama sent off the team, calling himself the “hooper-in-chief” in a speech in front of the Olympic-bound players:
"It is true I am the hooper-in-Chief," Obama said. "I just wanna come here to help send off the soon-to-be gold medal winners."
With Obama's support, the Americans won their fifth straight Olympic gold medal in men’s basketball, continuing their legacy as the premier country in the sport.
LA Lakers star LeBron James won the Paris Olympics MVP in a tournament that also included France’s Victor Wembanyama, Serbia’s Nikola Jokic, and Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.