I AM CHICAGO BASKETBALL Mag JAN/FEB 2017 | Page 22

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For the last 8 years LeBron James has arguably been the best basketball player in the world . But all while LBJ has been defying time and comp , the nation ’ s capital has been home to the " Top Baller and Shot Caller ". Sure King James ' day job pits him against guys named Durant , Curry , Griffin , Davis and the Golden State Warriors , but the Presidential Hooper , Barack Obama , has been battling guys like Putin , P Ryan , Jong-un and teams of hacking Republicans . At one point , Mitch Mcconnell trash talked the POTUS and said he ' d lock him down to one term . Barack gets buckets though - so we know how that worked out . From the moment BO put on his # 44 jersey , Capitol Hill felt the effects of having a hooper in the

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GAME CHANGER

# Scripture by : Javin 4Man
oval office . The first major change was the link ups no longer happened on the links like when Bill Clinton was on the 1 ' s and 2 ' s . If you wanted to cozy up for a shot to get the Prez ' s ear you had to have a game on you . Senators , Congressman and other politicos formed combines to get their games together . Personal trainers helped guys shake the rust off in hopes of getting an invite to the Department of the Interior or the prestigious Sidwell Friends school for Tuesday night invite only games . There was also a pre-screening Saturday morning hoop , run by Arne Duncan , the President ' s long time Chicago homeboy and hoop buddy . If you showed you had game you might get invited to the big dance or better yet become a part of the permanent rotation .
" ILL WITH THE PILL ON CAPI- TOL HILL " The opportunity to hoop with Commander in Chief was the hottest ticket in town for years according to Dee Dee Myers , former Clinton administration press secretary . Myers described the chance to play with Obama as being a part of the inner sanctum and proximity to power is everything in the 10 square mile town . Barack ' s squad usually consisted of Reggie Love , a Presidential aide who played college hoops at Duke - winning a national title in 2001 , Michelle ' s big bro - Craig Robinson who played at Princeton , the aforementioned Arne Duncan and a few other guys Obama trusted on and off the court . Arne is a Chicagoan from the Hyde Park neighborhood who played pro ball in Australia , and ushered Obama into the inner circle of some of Chi cities best hoop runs . Without a Presidential pass or a co-sign from Duncan , Obama ' s game may not have given him entry into these games , but his passion and heady play would keep him around . President Barack would go on to return the favor by blessing Duncan with the Secretary