Former President Barack Obama made a surprise visit to WNBA All-Stars practicing at his recently opened Presidential Center, drawing gushing praise from players and league officials eager to celebrate the moment.
Obama walked onto the basketball court before practice on Friday and addressed the assembled players, spending several minutes speaking to the group before posing for a group photo and then roughly ten minutes shaking hands and snapping individual pictures with the stars. He received a No. 44 WNBA All-Star jersey, a nod to his place as the 44th president, and even dropped into a defensive stance for a brief, playful exchange with New York Liberty star Jonquel Jones, CBS News Chicago reported.
The visit took place at the Obama Presidential Center, which opened last month. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert noted that the league was the first professional sports organization to use the facility's basketball court, a distinction she tied to the WNBA's 30th anniversary celebration.
Engelbert did not miss the chance to lavish praise on the former president:
"It's fitting for our 30th anniversary that we're here as the first sports league to play in the Obama Presidential Center. Someone who has inspired hundreds of millions of people to dream big and accomplish things like President Obama has and his tie to basketball is amazing, too. I think there's no more fitting person to be meeting with the players."
For a league that has struggled for decades to build a stable audience, the WNBA's eagerness to bask in Obama's reflected glow is understandable. Whether it translates into lasting viewership or revenue is another question entirely.
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, arguably the single biggest driver of the WNBA's recent surge in attention, spoke to reporters after the visit. She called the encounter "obviously super cool" and said Obama had complimented her on how she handles public scrutiny.
Clark relayed Obama's personal advice:
"He's somebody that has been in front of the media quite a bit and he reminded me, 'When I got famous in my 40s, I didn't have to do it in my 20s.'"
Clark described it as "a moment I'll probably remember for the rest of my life." AP News confirmed the exchange, noting Obama spent personal time with Clark and acknowledged the pressures she faces in the public eye.
Obama's broader remarks to the group leaned into the league's growth narrative. He told players the game "has been picking up and people paying attention to your excellence," adding that watching it "has been making me happy." He also thanked them for off-court work inspiring young people.
The Obama Presidential Center itself drew criticism when it opened, with detractors calling it more of an activism headquarters than a traditional presidential library. Friday's event, blending sports, celebrity, and civic programming, fit that mold. After meeting the players, Obama spoke to a group of investors and nearly 100 high school girls at the center.
The lightest moment of the visit came courtesy of Jonquel Jones, who decided to test the former president's basketball instincts after the photo session wound down. Jones grabbed a ball and approached Obama on the court.
"I feel like as a hooper, you know when someone's challenging you. So I was just like, let me go over there with the basketball, you know, do a little cross, bump him a little bit. And I knew that I would get him activated a little because he's a hooper, too."
Obama obliged, dropping into a defensive stance for a few seconds before the moment passed. He told the group he no longer plays five-on-five to protect his Achilles tendon, but said he had broken in the center's court with a game of "horse."
Jones, who said she had met Obama once before, called him "a role model" and praised his family's continued community involvement. Obama has a long history with women's basketball. He became the first sitting U.S. president to attend a WNBA game in 2010, sitting courtside with his daughter Sasha at a Washington Mystics game. He also hosted WNBA championship and NCAA title-winning players at the White House during his presidency.
Obama's political record, of course, extends well beyond basketball courts. His administration's immigration policies continue to generate headlines, including cases where illegal immigrants released under his watch later faced serious criminal charges.
The All-Star Game, scheduled for Saturday, carries a strong Chicago flavor. The Chicago Sky are one of four teams with a player in the game, and five former Sky players will participate. Angel Reese, formerly of the Sky, is making her third straight All-Star appearance and playing on a team managed by Cynthia Cooper.
The opposing squad is managed by Teresa Weatherspoon, the former Sky head coach. Reese has maintained a close relationship with Weatherspoon since playing for her as a rookie in Chicago two years ago.
Former WNBA Finals MVP Kaleah Copper, another former Sky player, will also suit up Saturday. Obama said he would not attend the game itself, citing a prior engagement with his wife Michelle.
Obama's post-presidential public life has kept him in the spotlight on multiple fronts. He recently warned about Justice Department politicization in a television appearance, a caution that struck many observers as inconsistent with his own administration's record. His broader orbit of former aides has also produced its share of unflattering stories, including a former press aide fired from a six-figure city job under embarrassing circumstances.
None of that dimmed the WNBA's enthusiasm on Friday. The league got its photo op, the players got their presidential audience, and Obama got to remind everyone he is still the most polished political brand in the Democratic Party, even on a basketball court.
The WNBA can celebrate its 30th anniversary however it likes. But borrowed star power is no substitute for a business model that stands on its own.