NBA 2015: LeBron James to play season opener against Derrick Rose-led Chicago Bulls in front of Barack Obama
President Barack Obama will let his voice be heard to champion sterner gun control in the U.S. He had to fly all the way to Chicago to speak before a crowd for the annual conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police at McCormick Place on Tuesday. But, it was not the only kind of firepower he would be talking about when he got home.
Obama's plan also include a side trip to be part of the partisan home crowd supporting the Chicago Bulls when they go up against Cleveland Cavaliers for the NBA 2015-2016 season opener, according to ESPN. It will be an explosive matchup against the two Eastern Conference titans led by two of the more popular superstars in LeBron James and Derrick Rose.
"He loves the game of basketball. We all know that. It's an honor for me to be a part of a venue and a spectacle that the president would like to come and watch. It's an honor for sure," James said on Tuesday morning before his team's shootaround.
James also shared that his kids were pretty skeptical about him playing in front of Obama in the past. He said that, at least today, he would have the film to show them as proof of that cool experience playing a game where the president of the United States is around watching it, the Cleveland.com wrote.
Although the White House would not confirm his attendance, and for a good reason, the mere presence of Secret Service agents around the United Center all but confirms everything.
Apparently, James does not have just one big fan from the White House. Just almost a week ago, First Lady Michelle Obama told thousands of young adults inside the University of Akron's Rhodes Arena that she and her husband were both a fan not just because of LeBron James as an athlete but because of him as a human being. She was in Akron for her #ReachHigher campaign to encourage high school students to get into college, People reported.
Back in 2012, Pres. Obama also had the chance to witness a basketball game featuring team mates LeBron James and Kevin Love of the Cavaliers. The pair had been a part of the U.S. men's basketball team, which represented the country in the London Olympics. They played host against a visiting Brazil's national team for a tune-up game in Washington, D.C. where James led the U.S. team to a win with his 30-pt performance, ESPN also noted.