Barack and Michelle Obama are outspoken proponents of Chicago, and they’ve both worked extensively to revitalize the city. They’re also both outspoken fans of the hometown NBA squad, the Bulls.
The Knicks last summer hired Craig Robinson, Michelle’s brother and the former Oregon State head coach, as a player development executive. Prior to joining New York, Robinson served in the same role for one year with the Milwaukee Bucks.
So, has that move affected the Obama family’s NBA fandom? Apparently, it has. ESPN’s Ian Begley recently chatted with Robinson, and Robinson said the former president and first lady had started rooting for the Bulls’ Eastern Conference rival — though they also maintained their Bulls allegiance.
“Yeah, they are (rooting for the Knicks),” Robinson said. “They are absolutely Knicks fans, but they are both Chicago Bulls fans. They wouldn’t stop rooting for the Bulls even when I was with the Bucks. I never had to worry about it when I was coaching college. But yeah, they are Knicks fans, they pay attention. So I get critiqued by the former president of the United States and the former first lady.”
Begley also asked Robinson what he learned about leadership from his brother-in-law.
“The most I learned from him is how to deal with my sister. She’s not the easiest,” Robinson said with a laugh.
Robinson once gave an account of the first time he played basketball with Barack, who at the time was dating Michelle while they were in law school together.
“When I played basketball with Barack, he was quietly confident, which means he had good self-esteem without being cocky,” Robinson told Esquire. “He was certainly a team player — he wasn’t a pig, he passed when he was supposed to pass, and he cut when he was supposed to cut. To me, that speaks to a lack of selfishness. He had natural leadership ability, because he didn’t just pass me the ball because he was dating my sister. Whenever a player gets tired, he reverts to the player he truly is. That’s how you tell. And we played for hours. That’s how I could tell.”
Robinson was a college coach for 26 years, the last six of which he spent leading the Beavers’ program. He compiled a 122-128 head-coaching record.
