Saturday, January 31, 2026
ADVT 
International

I'm best suited as basketball commissioner: US president Obama

Darpan News Desk IANS, 31 Jan, 2016 12:42 PM
    He has less than a year left as the US president, but Barack Obama knows one job that he'd really want to take up later -- that of a basketball commissioner.
     
    In an interview to GQ India magazine's February 2016 edition, Obama was asked: "Baseball, football, basketball, all the commissioner jobs open up next year. Which one would you want?"
     
    Given his love for basketball, Obama said: "Well, I'm best suited for basketball. But I cannot believe that the commissioner of football gets paid $44 million a year."
     
    Obama's term ends in January next year.
     
    Talking about the one perk of being president that he's going to miss the most, he said: "So the clear answer would be Air Force One: an amazing plane with an amazing crew, they clear out airspace so you don’t have to wait. And you land anytime, you leave anytime.
     
    "But it maybe Marine One, because even post-presidency, I may be able to round up a private plane sometime, but it’s tough not to have your helicopter waiting for you."
     
    On a serious note, Obama shared that he feels he has a "pretty good handle".
     
    "One thing I learned during the campaign was that I’ve got a good temperament. I don’t get too high and I don’t get too low. I’m able to stay focussed even when there’s a lot of stuff going on around me.
     
    "So there was never a point, even early on - even in the first six months, where we weren’t sure whether we were going to dip into another Great Depression, we weren’t sure whether the steps we were taking on rescuing the auto industry or stabilising the financial system were going to work - there weren’t moments where I thought, 'Sheesh, feels like we’re in over our head'," he said.
     
    The 54-year-old also shared that he "didn't fully appreciate and nobody can appreciate until they’re in the position, is how decentralised power is in this system.
     
    "...A lot of the work is not just identifying the right policy but now constantly building these ever shifting coalitions to be able to actually implement and execute and get it done," he added.
     
    In the interview, by writer Bill Simmons, Obama also spoke about his "guiltiest-pleasure TV show".
     
    While he named "Big Break", he even said: "I do love 'Game Of Thrones'"
     
    The magazine's February issue will hit stands on Monday.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    What's In A Name? Democratic 2016 Front-Runner Hillary (Rodham) Clinton Knows More Than Most

    What's In A Name? Democratic 2016 Front-Runner Hillary (Rodham) Clinton Knows More Than Most
    WASHINGTON — As a young girl growing up in suburban Chicago, Hillary Rodham decided she'd never change her last name. Three decades later, an entire state debated her childhood choice.

    What's In A Name? Democratic 2016 Front-Runner Hillary (Rodham) Clinton Knows More Than Most

    Paris Climate Meet Reaches Draft Deal, India's Concerns Visible

    The thrust is on a legally-binding deal before the end of this round of negotiations due till December 11.

    Paris Climate Meet Reaches Draft Deal, India's Concerns Visible

    Texas Festival To Showcase South Asian Diaspora Films

    More than a dozen films focusing on issues affecting South Asians and exploring the lives and stories of the South Asian diaspora in the US will be showcased at a film festival in Texas next February.

    Texas Festival To Showcase South Asian Diaspora Films

    Two Followers Of Group Carried Out California Attacks: Islamic State

    The radio of the Islamic State militant group on Saturday claimed that two of its followers carried out Wednesday's San Bernardino mass shooting in California.

    Two Followers Of Group Carried Out California Attacks: Islamic State

    63-Year-Old Indo-Canadian Man From Vancouver Killed In Home Invasion In Nicaragua

    63-Year-Old Indo-Canadian Man From Vancouver Killed In Home Invasion In Nicaragua
    63-year-old Vancouver man was killed this week in an apparent home invasion robbery at his property in Nicaragua

    63-Year-Old Indo-Canadian Man From Vancouver Killed In Home Invasion In Nicaragua

    No Revealing Clothes At Angkor Wat, Please

    No Revealing Clothes At Angkor Wat, Please
    Cambodia on Friday decreed that visitors should not wear revealing clothes or smoke at the famed Angkor Wat temple, which was originally built as a Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

    No Revealing Clothes At Angkor Wat, Please