On August 4, Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States celebrated his 59th birthday.
Being the first Black President in American history, President Obama has become a source of pride and identification for many of the NBA’s young stars, Chris Paul and LeBron James among them.
Two of the NBA’s brightest stars — one of whom is a president in his own right — took to social media to send some love out to the man affectionately known as “44.”
A former basketball player and longtime ally of the game, Mr. Obama has developed close relationships with scores of pro basketball personnel. He attended more than one Washington Wizards game, attended the game in which Zion Williamson injured his knee after “breaking” his shoe and basked in the moments that he shared with the NBA Champions when they visited him at the White House.
Mr. Obama’s brother in law Craig Robinson also enjoyed a brief tenure working for the New York Knicks as its vice president of player development. Basketball seems to continually find its way into the President’s life.
It’s safe to say that, along with his family and country, hoops and hardwood have a special place in the heart of the immediate past POTUS.
“Happy Bday to my President and my friend @BarackObama!! Love,” James tweeted on Monday before being joined by Chris Paul, who took to Instagram to share his wishes for “44.”
Happy Bday to my President and my friend @BarackObama!! Love 🙏🏾✊🏾👑 https://t.co/gqH37R7avE
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 4, 2020
“Happy Birthday 44,” the president of the NBA Players Association succinctly wrote.
Coincidentally, Paul and James will be cross-matched on Wednesday night when the Oklahoma City Thunder square off against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.
Coming off of a 121-113 loss against the Denver Nuggets on Monday, the Thunder will be looking to rebound. The action will commence at 6:30 p.m. ET.