Obamaball

Here's some classic Barack Obama hoops action from his high school days:

Over here, my Atlantic colleague Marshall Poe writes about his recollection of playing pick-up ball with Obama at Harvard's Malkin Athletic Center ("the Mac" to friends) back in 1988-89.

Comments

I think I see Dubya on the sidelines in a cute little pleated skirt calling cheers through a megaphone. Is that a Hatch Act violation?

Posted by steve duncan | August 18, 2007 9:32 AM

I keep waiting for the Edwards football video. My college roomie's brother played with Edwards at North Moore and said he was a savage hitter. Love the Dr. J hair look.

Posted by Th | August 18, 2007 10:26 AM

Gotta love Punahou.

Posted by Minipundit | August 18, 2007 10:50 AM

Wow, he was number 23 before Jordan was famous and that number became desirable. You can tell the guy was forward-looking even then.

Posted by Dilan Esper | August 18, 2007 12:30 PM

Compare and contrast the Poe retrospective with the famous description of the Harvard B-School game where Bush tackled a guy. That Obama could negotiate competitive pickup basketball with both athletic and social skill and Bush could not shouldn't be too surprising. The thugs are always the guys without game.

Posted by Nat | August 18, 2007 1:05 PM

"Obama missed the free throw."

Election-wise, that's all I need to know.

Posted by David | August 18, 2007 1:40 PM

"Obama missed the free throw."

It was the Ben Wallace 'fro. It's a reverse Sampson thing for shooting free throws.

Posted by joejoejoe | August 18, 2007 2:19 PM

The two worst groups to play pick-up anything against are B-school students and young lawyers.
The former are good athletes who love the cheap shot and the second are always going on about 'suing your ass' after any hard foul.

Posted by flagrant foul | August 19, 2007 2:29 AM