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This Is What Our Super-Hip POTUS Might Do Next

by Rosie Holden Vacanti Gilroy

It's got to be hard to figure out what to do with yourself after being president of the United States. George W. Bush famously took up painting after he left office, while Bill Clinton founded the Clinton Foundation. Now that President Obama is six months away from the end of his tenure as president, there's much speculation about what he will do next. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest just disclosed one idea Obama has for his post-presidential life — and it's a pastime that might just make him the coolest POTUS yet. According to The Washington Post, Earnest announced recently that Obama might want to own an NBA team. Nope, Obama couldn't get any cooler if he tried.

It's well-known that President Obama is a major basketball fan — he closely follows his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls, and has been known to shoot some hoops himself. Therefore, it's not that surprising that he's interested in taking a stab at NBA ownership after January. In fact, POTUS told GQ last year, "I have fantasized about being able to put together a [NBA] team and how much fun that would be. I think it’d be terrific." Obama definitely deserves some fun after being president for eight years.

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President Obama often invites basketball teams to the White House — he recently hosted Villanova's team after they won the 2016 NCAA tournament, as well as the UConn women's basketball team after their 2016 NCAA win.

However, Earnest's statement made it clear that NBA ownership was only one idea POTUS will consider come January. According to The Washington Post, Earnest said that NBA ownership was just something Obama has "discussed," saying that the president would look into owning an NBA team "potentially, if the opportunity arose, under the right circumstances."

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Buying even part of an NBA team is certainly not cheap. However, former presidents make big money on speeches for years after they leave office, so Obama will likely have no shortage of cash flow — ever — and could probably afford to be an NBA owner if he so chooses.

President Obama is clearly thinking ahead to January. He even made a parody video about how he plans to spend his time after he moves out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. However, we're just going to have to wait and see what the president decides to do next. After all, the ball is in his court.