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Carmelo Anthony on playing with Barack Obama: He's Barry in the gym. He’s Barry. He's Bo in the gym. We wasn't at the White House. We played somewhere else at… It was like Navy or something like that. One of the campuses. We played somewhere. But yeah, I got the call like, "Yo, Obama doing a basketball game, man." He said he needs a shooter. Said he wants you. You have to be there. Damn! I got summoned. I think LeBron was there. We had some older guys and then he invited some of the younger guys. We were just there having a good time man. We played pick up. Q. Did anybody guard him with any gust? Anthony: You guard him but you just can't touch him.

Carmelo Anthony: President Barack Obama been around the game for a long time. He's been a major advocate for basketball, for the NBA as a whole. Him being such a global icon, like being able to bring awareness to the NBA and bring people in positions of power around the NBA, he's doing his job. He's like an ambassador for the NBA.

Barack Obama: “Looks like you got two out of three on me this time.” Anthony Edwards: “For a old head though, you ain't do too bad for yourself. You, you know, you stood up for yourself. You stood up for the community.

NBA on ESPN: The Obama Presidential Center will be open to all visitors this summer — even Anthony Edwards Ant and former President Barack Obama squashed the beef over hoops, ping pong and more
The Obama Presidential Center will be open to all visitors this summer — even Anthony Edwards 😂
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 17, 2026
Ant and former President Barack Obama squashed the beef over hoops, ping pong and more 🏓 pic.twitter.com/kq3GZf64Vo
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"He's my favorite person in the world."
— NBA (@NBA) February 16, 2026
Ant talks about putting on a show in front of President Barack Obama! pic.twitter.com/ALSHRJxRVP
Awful Announcing: Reggie Miller: "Do you have a favorite moment during that time in Chicago during the '90s?" Barack Obama: "I always enjoyed watching us beat Indiana." 🏀🔥🎙️ #NBA #NBC
Reggie Miller: "Do you have a favorite moment during that time in Chicago during the '90s?" Barack Obama: "I always enjoyed watching us beat Indiana." 🏀🔥🎙️ #NBA #NBC
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing.bsky.social) 2026-02-15T23:13:17.780Z

Pelicans Film Room: "Probably Barack... I gotta beat him like 11-0 but it gotta put some type of wager on it. Like you gotta let me come to the White House whenever" -- Derik Queen on if he could play 1 on 1 against anyone in history
It’s common knowledge that President Barack Obama is a basketball fanatic with a nice jumper. But did you know that late Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., could hoop, too? The story of how MLK and Obama used basketball to make connections is revealed in “Hoops, Hopes & Dreams,” a documentary debuting on Hulu today on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
“I liked everything about it,” Washington Wizards forward Khris Middleton told Andscape after the film was shown to his teammates at the National Museum of African American History and Culture on Jan. 8. “First of all, its basketball. Two of the most important people of our lifetime, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama are playing basketball and also using basketball as a vehicle to encourage people to come out and support their movements, what they were doing and support what they were fighting for. When I watched it at first, I was like, ‘There is no way Martin Luther King was a hooper.’ All hoopers love hoopers. We’ve seen the documentation and videos of Barack playing. But to know that Dr. King played is pretty cool.”
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Middleton said it was a no-brainer to join as a producer after being invited by Alexys Feaster. Middleton said he has seen the movie five times and gave Feaster feedback after viewing it. His sister, Brittney, also was one of the producers. “Alexis brought this to my attention and I did some research on it,” Middleton said. “We sat and talked about it and I decided this was an easy, ‘Yes,’ with a lot of the things I’ve been involved in the past and was currently. I thought it was a perfect first film to produce.”

LeBron James: I SECOND THAT!!! Congratulations my fellow flag bearer @CocoGauff 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾🤎
I SECOND THAT!!! Congratulations my fellow flag bearer @CocoGauff 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾🤎 https://t.co/DAWugITVZy
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 7, 2025
The garbage, in his words, is the recycled spectacle of American electoral politics. Whether it’s Trump or Biden, Obama or Bush, Hodges believes the real decision-makers wear tailored suits on Wall Street — not the White House. “To me, Trump and Biden? It’s a uniparty. Two wings of the same bird,” Hodges said. “And the bird don’t fly for us.” That’s not a new theme in his rhetoric. He’s been speaking this truth since his NBA days — when he tried to organize players into a collective consciousness of activism and economic self-determination. Now, in 2025, with disinformation rampant and trust in institutions crumbling, Hodges feels vindicated. “We’ve been losing jobs since we’ve been in America, shit!” he says, voice rising. “When we were fully employed, y’all didn’t have a problem with us — because we were totally enslaved.”
His frustration extends to the Democratic establishment — especially President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. “They won’t step up to the plate and say that this dude is incompetent from Day 1,” Hodges said of Biden. “We can’t say that because it’s ‘politically incorrect.’ And then you wanna give me Kamala Harris? Nah, man.” He doesn’t blame the system for being what it is. He blames us — for still expecting it to save us. “We didn’t say Democrats and Republicans we want y’all to sit down and listen to what we need over here… but we ain’t unified like that.” Unity, for Hodges, is the missing piece. It’s not about waiting for another Barack or denouncing another Trump. It’s about organization, ownership, and truth-telling. Even when it’s uncomfortable. Especially when it is. “It’s a game, man,” Hodges said one more time, with a sigh. “And I hope we can see where we sit — because it’s getting ready to get REALLY hectic.”