Obama Playing Pickup Basketball

We were at an event in South Carolina during the campaign in 2007. The President stopped to do a short interview, and then someone tossed him a basketball and we’re live on CNN. And I’m like, “Do not shoot this. Do not shoot this. Do not shoot this.” In the stupid world of politics, the metaphor of the candidate missing a shot on live television would have been unfortunate. And he kind of looks at me, like, “Really?” And fires one, and makes it, live on television, sort of feeding the legend of Obama, clutch individual. And [then he] walks into the rally. Which is something that he brought up with me for at least five years afterwards. Every time I would jokingly tell him not to do something, he would point out that I had told him not to make that shot, and he had made it. It was in jest but it was pretty serious, too. The point he was making always was: I’m good at moments like these, so don’t doubt me.

Source: The Oral History of President Barack Obama Playing Pickup Basketball

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