The President of the United States is a true homer.
Barack Obama Monday officially congratulated the world champion Los Angeles Lakers on their 15th NBA title. As presidents do, he invited the team to the White House and mugged for the camera and made a nice speech and all that.
But, the president, a rabid Bulls fan and basketball player himself, had to stick it to the Lakers players and staff just a bit.
“I'm especially excited to meet Coach Phil Jackson, the Zen Master. I've been a fan of Coach Jackson's ever since his days running the triangle offense in Chicago,” the president said when greeting the team. “I do want to point out that six of [his titles] came with the Bulls. … I just want to point that out.”
The president didn’t stop there. He made sure current team vice president and former Showtime member Magic Johnson heard him.
“You remember that, Magic?” the president asked.
”Yes, sir,” Magic replied.
“'90-'91? Remember when – You know, they won the first game and they were feeling cocky. And Paxson was hitting all those shots. Anyway, we're not -- that's not why we're here.”
Only after he finished his trip down Bulls memory lane did the president go on to congratulate the team and tell them how wonderful they are.
But he left no doubt as to where his allegiance lies – and it’s easy to see where POTUS falls on the whole Kobe vs. Jordan debate.
Bravo, Mr. President.
