Pallin’ Around With Players: Obama Hangs With Sports Stars

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1||As TPM has documented, President Obama loves to play sports. But we noticed that when he’s not actually participating in athletic contests, he sure spends a lot of time hanging around athletes…

On January 25, 2010, Obama welcomes Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, and the rest of the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers to the White House. ||Newscom/UPI&&

2||April 5, 2010: Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman congratulates the President after he throws out the first pitch at a game. ||Newscom/UPI&&

3||May 21, 2009: President Obama talks with Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward at a community service event on the South Lawn of the White House.||Newscom/UPI&&

4||July 14, 2009: Obama talks with baseball great Willie Mays aboard Air Force One en route to the MLB All-Star Game in St. Louis, Missouri.||Official White House Photo by Pete Souza&&

5||April 26, 2010: New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera shakes hands with the President. The Yankees were welcomed at the White House after winning the 2009 World Series.||Newscom/IconPhotos&&

6||April 27, 2009: Obama watches as members of the NCAA champion University of Connecticut women’s basketball team shoot hoops at the White House. President Obama earlier honored the team at a ceremony on the South Portico of the White House.||Newscom/White House via CNP&&

7||July 14, 2009: Obama talks with Seattle Mariners star Ichiro Suzuki in the locker room before the start of the MLB All-Star Game. ||Newscom/Rapport&&

8||September 10, 2009: The President holds the Stanley Cup while honoring the 2009 champion Pittsburgh Penguins.||Newscom/UPI&&

9||September 16, 2009: Obama fences with Tim Morehouse, who won a silver medal in Beijing in 2008, at a White House event to promote Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics.||Newscom/UPI&&

10||August 9, 2010: Obama greets quarterback Drew Brees and the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints at a White House celebration. ||Newscom/Sipa&&

11||August 1, 2010: The President slaps hands with Tulsa Shock player Jennifer Lacy during a WNBA game. ||Newscom/RCP&&

12||July 14, 2009: Obama talks with Milwaukee Brewer slugger Prince Fielder, left, and the Phillies’ Ryan Howard while visiting the National League locker room before the start of the MLB All-Star Game.||Newscom/Sipa&&

13||August 8, 2010: Obama jokes with Chicago Bulls players Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose. The President played basketball with friends and college and professional basketball players before an audience that included wounded warriors at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C.||Official White House Photo by Pete Souza&&

14||May 27, 2010: Vice President Joe Biden, Obama, and former President Bill Clinton pose with the U.S. soccer team at the White House.||Newscom/Black Star&&

15||July 14, 2009: Obama embraces St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols.||Newscom/kyodo&&

16||August 19, 2009: The President poses with 2008 Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson at a ceremony for NASCAR drivers on the South Lawn of the White House.
||Newscom/CNP&&

17||May 11, 2009: Obama waves to coach Roy Williams and the 2009 NCAA men’s basketball champion University of North Carolina Tar Heels at the conclusion of a ceremony honoring the team at the White House.||Official White House Photo by Pete Souza&&

18||October 2, 2009: President Obama greets former Olympic athletes, including Jackie Joyner-Kersee and David Robinson, at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark.||Official White House Photo by Pete Souza&&

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