By DA Content Producer: Damond Gordon
White House Press Sec. Josh Earnest Says Obama has discussed NBA Ownership After Presidency.
President Barack Obama won’t be in the White House much longer, which means he’ll soon have time to ponder other career pursuits.
And, according to White House press secretary Josh Earnest, per ESPN.com, the commander in chief has contemplated entering the world of NBA ownership.
Earnest said Wednesday that Obama has “discussed” the idea of joining an NBA franchise’s ownership group, but he noted it would only be an option “potentially…under the right circumstances.”
Obama’s love of basketball has been well documented since he took office, and he’s been spotted courtside at various contests over the past few years. Most notably, the president watched the Chicago Bulls take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in their 2015-16 season opener at United Center last October.
He also took in a showdown between the Georgetown Hoyas and Duke Blue Devils at Verizon Center in January 2010.
Speaking to Bill Simmons for an interview in GQ last November, Obama revealed he has dreamed of calling the shots from the front office one day.
When asked if he would ever want to own a team, he said “absolutely” and added, “I have fantasized about being able to put together a team and how much fun that would be. I think it’d be terrific.”
If Obama did assemble an ownership group, he’d have to pool quite a bit of cash to earn a share of a franchise. According to Forbes‘ Kurt Badenhausen, the average NBA team was valued at $1.25 billion in January.
