Barack Obama has discussed owning an NBA team after leaving the White House

Yuri Gripas/Reuters

Normally, US presidents go into relative obscurity after leaving the presidency, but Barack Obama might buck the trend and move from one high-profile position to another: NBA owner.

According to White House press secretary Josh Earnest, via ESPN news services, the commander-in-chief has discussed the idea of owning an NBA franchise and would pursue it “potentially … under the right circumstances.”

The fact that Obama has had this desire is nothing new, though. It’s been much publicized that Obama is a huge basketball fan, especially when it comes to his hometown Chicago Bulls.

Also, we wrote a few months ago about President Obama’s fantasy of owning a team, but now it seems like his fantasy is starting to become something much more real.

Something like this, with a former US president, particularly one like President Obama, would result in huge publicity for the NBA, but there could be some problems. Obama owning a team could be a slippery slope for the other owners. On the one hand, he would be a great guy to have involved in your league, but there could be an issue with his super-high profile. He could also come in and have an immediate advantage over other owners in terms of influence and sway over players.

Imagine a prospective free agent deciding where he’s going to sign and then realizing that one of the teams chasing him is “The President’s Team.” A player could be excited to play for Obama, or even fear saying no, and that could potentially create a competitive imbalance in the league.