The Denver Nuggets’ three-time MVP shared a viral moment with the former President during this year’s All-Star Game.
During game one of Sunday’s All-Star Game between Team USA Stars and Team World, Nikola Jokic made a play on a loose ball with Phoenix Suns star guard Devin Booker.
The ball wound up falling out of reach for both, and instead into the hands of Barack Obama, who was sitting courtside with Michelle Obama for the action in Los Angeles.
Obama was ready to check in the game lol pic.twitter.com/ebuZcdPAQT
— 𝗠𝗔𝗟 (@MindOfBron) February 15, 2026
If it weren’t for the help of a slight push from Booker in the back of Jokic, the big man might’ve ended up barreling into the crowd courtside. But thankfully, the crisis was averted.
Former President Barack Obama is present at today’s All-Star Game in Los Angeles. He had a brief interaction with Devin Booker after a loose ball went his way. pic.twitter.com/xJPJiqJMLE
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) February 15, 2026
Nikola Jokic Has Quiet All-Star Performance
It would be one of the few moments that Jokic would be a part of for this year’s All-Star Game, as he would only end up playing over five minutes of action in the first 12-minute game between Team USA and Team World, and had zero points on 0-1 shooting with two rebounds.
That limited performance from Jokic would be in large part due to the lack of playing time he was bound to get due to his recent knee injury that he suffered back in December. With his availability for the rest of the season in mind, he wasn’t going to push things longer than necessary in an All-Star outing, and saw a quiet night as many could’ve expected.
However, that wouldn’t be without at least one memorable moment on the floor, involving former President Obama himself.
Feb 15, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Team World center Nikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets looks on before game 1 during the 75th NBA All Star Game at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
As for Jokic’s Nuggets teammate, Jamal Murray, he would end up with a quiet performance on his part as well, shooting 0-6 from the field to log zero points, pairing it with two rebounds and four assists.
Team World would wind up coming short in the first game of action against Team USA Stars, albeit in a narrow overtime effort that would wind up as a 37-35 win thanks to a Scottie Barnes game-winning three-pointer to send his team forward to advance.
And in that 12-minute process, even without Jokic or Murray having a strong outing on their behalf, the two sides between Team USA and Team World put together a notably competitive effort with a bit more intensity and defensive tenacity that stood out in that short quarter of play, a lacking aspect of the All-Star Game that even former President Obama himself was vocally critical of in the past.
“Y’all gotta have a little more pride in that All-Star Game,” Obama told Tyrese Haliburton in a 2024 interview. “It’s not as if you all don’t play pickup during the summers. You know how to play in a way that, ‘Alright, I’m not going to hurt anybody, I’m not going to take anybody out.’ But that All-Star Game, it’s broke, man.”
“Y’all got to have a little more pride in that All-Star Game… It’s an insult to the game.” -Obama confronts Tyrese about the NBA All Star Game pic.twitter.com/ynmGQaJfBm
— TheOldManAndTheThree (@OldManAndThree) October 23, 2024
Thankfully, this time around, the results have been a bit more favorable in terms of the All-Star game’s intensity. And for Obama, he was able to get a front-row seat for it.
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