If the San Antonio Spurs are ever in need of a new player, head coach Gregg Popovich might want to give Barack Obama a ring. The former president revealed during MIT's Sloan Sports Analytics Conference earlier this week that he would sign to the team if he was a free agent.
Obama explained, per the San Antonio Express-News:
This is an outstanding fantasy. I am just basking in the scenario. I think it's fair to say that there are organizations in the NBA that may not win every year, they are focused on the team, they treat everybody in the organization with respect. That is the kind of organization that I would want to be a part of. I will say that over the last 15 in basketball, San Antonio would be a great example. There is a little drama popping up right now. If you look at what they've built, its just a smart, well run operation with good culture.
Obama jokingly pointed out that he has friends who owned NBA teams so he had to choose wisely. He also mentioned the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, and Boston Celtics as other options. Popovich later heard about Obama's decision and joked that he'd have to do a background check on him.
"That's very flattering," the Spurs coach said, according to Bay Area News Group's Melissa Rohlin. "I'd have to do a background check on him, though, because I've heard some things he's done in the past aren't very good. I can't remember where I heard that stuff, but I'd have to do a background check."
Pop on Obama saying he'd pick SA if he were a free agent: "That's very flattering. I'd have to do a background check on him, though, bc I've heard some things he's done in the past aren't very good. I can't remember where I heard that stuff, but I'd have to do a background check"
Popovich and Obama have met before when the Spurs visited the White House to celebrate their 2014 championship and shared a few laughs. "Let’s face it, a little while back, people were saying the Spurs were past their prime. Not just old, but kind of boring,” Obama quipped at the time. “Now they’re fresh and exciting—which is basically the exact opposite of what happens to presidents."
