Ohio Man Indicted for Alleged Threat Against Vice President JD Vance, Faces Additional Federal Charges 
India–U.S. Interim Trade Pact Cuts Auto Tariffs but Leaves Tesla Out 
Champions League final 2025: a battle for glory against a backdrop of money and fashion 
LA28 Confirms Olympic Athletes Exempt from Trump’s Travel Ban 
Apple Eyes U.S. Formula 1 Broadcast Rights in Major Sports Streaming Push 
U.S. Plans $115 Million Counter-Drone Investment to Secure FIFA World Cup and Major National Events 
Antonio José Seguro Poised for Landslide Win in Portugal Presidential Runoff 
‘The geezer game’ – a nearly 50-year-old pickup basketball game – reveals its secrets to longevity 
Anutin’s Bhumjaithai Party Wins Thai Election, Signals Shift Toward Political Stability 
Taiwan Says Moving 40% of Semiconductor Production to the U.S. Is Impossible 
Trump to Host UFC Event at White House on His 80th Birthday 
Trump’s U.S. Open Visit Delays Final, Fans Face Long Security Lines 
Sydney Braces for Pro-Palestine Protests During Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s Visit 
Israel Approves West Bank Measures Expanding Settler Land Access 
Bangladesh Election 2026: A Turning Point After Years of Political Suppression 
Trump Backs Nexstar–Tegna Merger Amid Shifting U.S. Media Landscape 
From attending collegiate to professional basketball games and countless photos of him on the court, Barack Obama’s love for basketball should not surprise anyone. However, he had a very important reason for practically retiring from hosting pick-up basketball games at the White House.
Barack Obama: Why he later decided to stop playing basketball while in the White House
In the earlier years of Obama’s White House term, the former President of the United States made headlines for his occasional pick-up ball plays. He has also been photographed playing with staffers, lawmakers, and even NBA stars.
Obama’s sport activity did not last throughout his eight-year term though, according to former White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer. But it was not because Obama lost interest in basketball altogether. There was a very reasonable explanation for why ex-POTUS refrained from hosting games later on in his presidency.
“There was a period of time where he kind of mostly retired from pick-up ball in the latter half of his presidency, just as he felt he was getting older and more afraid of injury,” Pfeiffer told Sports Illustrated. “He described it to me once that as you get older and you get slower, the risk of injury exceeds the benefits of playing.”
Obama’s concern is a legitimate one, especially if one would recall the time when he needed 12 stitches. During a pick-up match in 2010, Obama got elbowed on the lip while playing against Rey Decerega, then-Director of Programs at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. Decerega did not get in any trouble for the incident. But it still made headlines because it is not every day that one of the most powerful men in the world gets injured during a friendly game of basketball.
Barack Obama’s White House games brought some NBA legends out of retirement
The White House basketball games seemed fun while they lasted though. On more special occasions, Pfeiffer recalled having active NBA stars and some NBA legends coming out of retirement to play basketball with the former president.
Big names who have retired from professional basketball like Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson, and Alonzo Mourning went back on the court to play with Obama, Pfeiffer revealed. Obama’s White House games were also popular among active NBA stars. In a special game for his 50th birthday, a match was attended by LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Derrick Rose while Kobe Bryant watched on the sideline since he was nursing an injury at the time.
