HOUSTON -- With Friday being a day of the transfer of presidential power in the United States, Houston Rockets guard James Harden told ESPN he's sad that Barack Obama is no longer president, but he reflected on a 2010 basketball game he played at the White House against the now-former president.
"It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to hoop with the president. He's a lefty as well, kind of crafty," said the left-handed Harden. "I don't know about his jump shot, but it was all smiles. We had fun. It was just a great time and it's a time that I will remember for the rest of my life."
According to a story in GQ Magazine regarding Obama's pickup basketball games, Harden was paired up with former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Dahntay Jones and Reggie Love, Obama's former personal aide. Harden's group beat Obama and two of Harden's former teammates, Kevin Durant and Eric Maynor.
Harden, according to an account by Arthur Jackson, who played in the game, made the game-winning layup.
"It was the first time I lost playing with the president," Jackson said in the GQ story. "Everybody was kind of shocked. And the president jumps up and he says, “I step off the court, we’re at 19-11, we need one basket, we’ve got the MVP [Durant] of the world championships on the court, and we can’t win? Are you kidding me?”
With Donald Trump being sworn in as the nation's 45th president, Harden had some praise for the man he's replacing.
"It's sad, but he had an unbelievable run," Harden told ESPN concerning Obama. "I think all of us are proud of him."
