National Basketball Association

Obama gives political answer when asked to predict Finals

Published Jun. 12, 2015 2:42 p.m. ET

foxsports

By Mike Cole

Barack Obama: fan of basketball, not a fan of giving his honest opinion.

The president’s love for hoops is well-known at this point. His White House pickup games are things of lore, and every spring the Commander in Chief puts together an NCAA Tournament bracket for both the men’s and women’s tournaments.

However, he’s still a politician. A big key to being a politician, of course, is appeasing as many people as possible, apparently even if you don’t have a whole lot to gain or lose. Obama, despite the fact he’s in his second term, sounded like someone who didn’t want to tick off voters in California or Ohio (a key swing state) when asked for his NBA Finals prediction.

“LeBron is playing unbelievably, but Steph Curry, even though he’s had a couple of bad games, I’ve met him, he’s a wonderful young man, a deserving MVP,” Obama told Extra! in an interview. “My sense is he’s gonna pick it back up, so who knows, but I’m sure enjoying watching it.”

So there you have it. When it comes to the already half-over NBA Finals, Obama’s best prognostication is “who knows.” At least he’s a little more committal when talking policy.

Oh, and the president also gave his Stanley Cup Final prediction. He’s taking the Blackhawks, which is just POTUS sticking to his guns as a Chicago guy.

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