Obama hosts ‘fireside chat’ to share basketball stars’ service
In their communities, NBA stars Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Love and Chris Paul all do service work.
But the three players, who normally only see one another on the basketball court, didn’t know what the others were doing or how to even support one another, they said on Saturday.
As the three star professional basketball players sat in conversation with former President Barack Obama on Saturday night, they talked about building basketball courts and recreational centers, funding outreach efforts to help people who struggle with mental health issues, and starting their own foundations. Obama said he decided to host a fireside chat with the three players because he wanted them to share their stories of how they began their service efforts with dozens of unknown residents who do similar work with a lower profile. Obama said the talk reflects the kind of work his Obama Foundation aims to do by bridging a gap between civic innovators around the world.
“The work I’m doing ... focuses on how do we life up, amplify and support the next generation of leaders,” Obama said. “Our goal is ... there are a million Michelle and Baracks out there. They just weren’t as lucky as us. If we identify them and give them a platform and a voice and train them, that’s what’s going to save the world.
“Don’t look backward at who was there — look forward to who is coming.”
Then he sat down and talked for more than an hour with Antetokounmpo, a forward for the Milwaukee Bucks; Love, a power forward and center for the Cleveland Cavaliers; and Paul, a point guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
ESPN sports commentator and former Washington Post writer Michael Wilbon, who grew up on the South Side, helped moderate the conversation.
“The work I’m doing ... focuses on how do we life up, amplify and support the next generation of leaders.” — Former President Barack Obama
But much of it flowed naturally, with each man chiming in about his journey without many formal questions.
“They’re good people,” Obama said of the three athletes. “Each of them are at different stages of their careers. Each of them have shown character on the court, but also off the court.”
During their talk, Paul said he became interested in building basketball courts and facilities at under-resourced schools when he was looking for a place to educate his son. He noticed that the schools in wealthier areas had access to tools and technology he never saw in his own schools growing up.
Love discussed experiencing an anxiety attack and how it eventually propelled him to invest in resources to address mental health issues.
And Antetokounmpo talked about how, when growing up in Greece, his family had to build a small circle of support, because they were undocumented immigrants who lived with a fear of being deported.
“When we were growing up, we had people to help us. We had people who guided us,” he said. “We had to have our circle really tight.”
When he began playing in Milwaukee, he noticed the poverty and people struggling, and decided he could give back. Not only does he visit prisons and jails talking to the inmates, but he also makes the rounds in the city, giving inspirational talks to school children and amateur athletes, he said.
Obama’s gathering took place before a hand-selected group of leaders who participate in the foundation’s many programs, such as the Obama Foundation Fellows and Obama Scholars. In the audience were longtime Obama friends and supporters Valerie Jarrett, John Rogers, Tina Tchen, Mark Cuban, Susan Sher and Helene Gayle from the Chicago Community Trust. Obama Foundation Board President Martin Nesbitt was there too.