Obama Surprises WNBA All-Stars, Urges Caitlin Clark to Keep Joy
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- Barack Obama surprised the WNBA All-Stars on Friday at the Obama Presidential Center's indoor basketball court, which opened in June, shaking hands and posing for photos during the league's 30th-anniversary All-Star Weekend.
- Obama told Caitlin Clark to "hold on to your joy" amid media and social media scrutiny that has followed the Fever guard since her 2024 No. 1 pick debut, and Clark later said his words were "a moment I'll probably remember for the rest of my life."
- Obama surprised Marina Mabrey by referencing her WNBA-record-tying 53-point game on June 25, prompting the Toronto Tempo guard to wonder, "Did he see it when it was happening?"
- Obama briefly guarded 6-foot-6 Liberty center Jonquel Jones on the court, prompting Jones to note, "He's got a good defensive stance," and he admitted he "lost" a game of HORSE inaugurating the center's court.
- Obama told players he and Michelle Obama have a prior commitment keeping them from attending Saturday's All-Star Game at the United Center (capacity 20,917), up from the 10,387-seat Wintrust Arena when Chicago last hosted in 2022.
- Obama reconnected with Cheryl Reeve and her now-11-year-old son Oliver, who as a 19-month-old in June 2016 famously high-fived the president during a Lynx White House visit and now tells friends he is "famous" because the clip surfaces on YouTube.
- Breanna Stewart said she visited the Obama White House every year during UConn's four straight NCAA titles from 2013 to 2016 and still checks in with the former president about his family.
- Angel Reese joked she "sort of" encountered Obama first on Thursday, when his plane parked next to hers on the tarmac and forced her team to wait before deplaning.
Why it matters: Obama's long-running personal engagement with the WNBA — White House visits during UConn and Lynx title runs, the viral 2016 toddler high-five, and now this All-Star stop — gives the league a high-profile champion as it celebrates its 30th season and stages its biggest-ever showcase in a 20,917-seat arena, while his direct counsel to Caitlin Clark speaks to the unprecedented scrutiny facing the league's biggest star.
