Obama, Lightfoot meet after NBA panel session
Officials discuss presidential center, love of basketball
Taking a break from greeting professional basketball players who are in Chicago for All-Star weekend, former President Barack Obama met with Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Saturday afternoon, officials confirmed.
The meeting took place after they both participated in a panel session, and they discussed their love of basketball and issues related to the city “including but not limited to the Obama Presidential Center,” a spokeswoman for the mayor said.
Obama also is expected to speak with Ald. Leslie Hairston, 5th, while he’s in town, but officials did not release specific information related to that meeting.
Obama is among dozens of national leaders, celebrities and athletes who have descended upon the city for All-Star weekend.
His conversation with Lightfoot comes just days after protesters staged a sit-in at City Hall demanding a meeting with her to discuss ways to protect lower-income residents who live near the site of the proposed Obama Presidential Center from displacement.
The mayor has found herself in the middle of a disagreement between South Side residents who have long been pushing for a community benefits agreement — a binding contract that would guarantee certain amenities such as jobs, the creation of neighborhood assets and affordable housing — and those who say such an agreement would threaten development in low-income communities that need it the most.
Hairston has been a supporter of the presidential center development, but she’s also pushing for an ordinance that would guarantee specific benefits to residents. Her ward includes neighborhoods expected to be directly impacted by the new campus.
Since he’s been in town, Obama has made a surprise appearance at an NBA Cares service event where he greeted famous volunteers such as Zion Williamson, a small forward for the New Orleans Pelicans, and Trae Young, a point guard for the Atlanta Hawks. Obama peppered his conversation with the players with sports statistics and references about their reputations on the court.
From the time he was elected to the U.S. Senate, Obama made known to the public his infatuation with basketball. While serving in the White House, he was known for his pickup games with staff, some of whom were former college players.
Lightfoot, too, is an avid sports fan and was known as a standout point guard at her high school in Massillon, Ohio.
The Obama Foundation, among other things, is charged with developing the presidential center campus in Jackson Park. The sprawling complex will have a museum, meeting spaces for large public events, a public library branch and offices for the foundation staff. The site will be surrounded with greenery and outdoor meeting spaces. It also will have an athletic center with basketball courts. The project has gained approval by the City Council but has faced opposition from environmentalists who continue to push for it to be moved elsewhere.
Currently, the project is undergoing a federal review process, which has to be completed before developers can break ground. The foundation has not released a new timeline for when they expect construction to start or end.