"It is rare to be in the presence of a guy from the greatest team in @NBA history…" @POTUS https://t.co/CvtOXveafU
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 4, 2016
Thursday saw one of the greatest traditions in all of sports, as a team that recently won a championship visited the President of the United States. This time, it was the Golden State Warriors paying a visit to Barack Obama. Since he’s been through a bunch of these during his time as POTUS, Obama decided to use the occasion as a chance to make jokes – about everything.
First, Obama decided to talk a little bit of trash as a fan of the Chicago Bulls. While introducing the defending champions, he talked about how it’s not often that he gets the chance to be around guys from one of the “best teams in the history of the NBA.” Of course, he doesn’t mean the Warriors, he means the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, which won a league-record 72 games and featured Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
Obama did give Kerr some credit, though. He acknowledged that if Golden State breaks the Bulls’ single-season wins record, it will mean that Kerr the coach one-upped Kerr the player.
President Obama said, "Maybe, you break the Bulls record" but Steve Kerr is going to win, "either way."
— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) February 4, 2016
Also among the targets for Obama was Stephen Curry. While POTUS didn’t make fun of the reigning league MVP – he really couldn’t considering Curry dropped 51 points and hit 11 threes against Washington the night before – he did take a second to do his best impression of Curry. To his credit, it was pretty good.
Finally, Obama decided he wanted to take a moment and compare himself to Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton. Due to Kerr missing the start of the season, Walton was the team’s head coach and guided Golden State to a 39-4, but the league isn’t giving him credit for those wins. In Obama’s eyes, Walton reminds him a lot of himself.
Obama: Warriors' Luke Walton accomplished big things & doesn't get enough credit. "I can't imagine how that feels!" https://t.co/l0kgyYRIob
— CNN News Central (@NewsCentralCNN) February 4, 2016
Of course, the big moment in the ceremony came when the Warriors presented Obama with a jersey. But the team offered the biggest basketball fan to ever hold the presidency one more thing – a 10-day contract when his time in office ends next year.
The Warriors give POTUS a jersey and a commitment to a 10-day when he's free. pic.twitter.com/QMUlfUJ39G
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) February 4, 2016
Obama is known for having a pretty sweet jumper, so if he takes the deal, he’d be an outstanding fit in the Warriors’ offense.
