Saturday, February 28, 2009

Obama Attends Washington Wizards Game

Obama watched last night. Today he played at the Department of Interior
Politico: Obama attends Washington Wizards basketball game last night as they pummel his Chicago Bulls – AP's Christine Simmons: 'Obama got a hearty welcome from Wizards fans when he arrived at the Verizon Center. Officials slightly delayed the game, waiting for his entrance. Once he entered, fans gave him a standing ovation and flashed their cameras. ...Obama sat courtside across the court from the Wizards in seats that are usually taken by season ticket holders.

'White House senior adviser David Axelrod chose his seat in another section right before Obama entered. Once the game was under way, Obama chatted much of the time with a Chicago friend, and shook hands with fans as they passed in front of him. He stayed in his courtside seat for most of the game, but he left with 47.8 seconds left in the first half to make a visit to Wizards owner Abe Pollin's suite. ... Obama got up to leave with just under 4 1/2 minutes left, not staying to endure the 113-90 final score of the winning Wizards. Obama had already welcomed the Bulls into town Thursday, when the team visited him at the White House and presented him with a jersey.' 
The Chicago Bulls lost:
Antawn Jamison scored a game-high 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead eight double-digit scorers, as the lowly Washington Wizards used a strong fourth quarter to hold on for a 113-90 win over the playoff-hopeful Chicago Bulls at Verizon Center.

The game was delayed three minutes as President Barack Obama made his entrance into the building to watch the game. Although Obama was cheering for his hometown Bulls, the fans applauded him as he made his way to his court-side seat.

"We wanted to perform well in front of the president," said Jamison. "The most important thing was getting the win." SN