In which he acted. She was the kindest, most loving, most forgiving, most understanding women that one could ever know in what she put up with this extraordinary. The most extraordinary revelations and she forgave him for that. She didnt even mention it as far as we know that allowed him to come back into the bosom of the family and when he died in this tool they killed her to witness experience, having been her oldest son be killed in exactly the manner before that mustve been so calling them yet she lives out the rest of her days spent redeeming and affirming his memory and no man stood higher than Alexander Hamilton in her mind. It is a glorious thing. John, thank you for your wonderful top. Though enjoyable, so scintillating. My question is about the idea of tools. To what extent were tools, and place based between two high positioned government officials unusual in 1804 . I dont know exactly what the count was, and that i venture to say in the 30 year period surrounding 1804 that there were probably 100 dual spot in the Greater New York area. All of them, by the way, in new jersey. You can do things in new jersey that you cant do in manhattan even though they are equally illegal. They would go across and do their battle there and they would assume everything would be fine. In this case it wasnt. But it was this code that doesnt exist today because honored as an access and they need to defend it doesnt exist and for that reason it is unimaginable to us. At that time and so ritualized in so automatic and frankly there was an educated but there was a process, that nobody wouldve thought a priori to say lets have a dual two saddlebags saddlebags to settle this. I think this happens at times very difficult situation, more largely for a culture buys into a notion that any other time with any other group of people with utterly bizarre and yet as inevitable as sunrise. [applause] thank you very much. Thank you all. There are copies of the book. Again, we welcome you to come up and take a look at the letters we have appeared. Again, if you want to become a member, there are brochures and drive. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] is such a pleasure and he will be discussing his new vote called the audacity of hoop basketball and the age of obama. Alex is Senior Writer at Sports Illustrated. I think the longestserving Senior Writer at the magazine. Is that right . He has been there for a while and over the decades he discovered the nba and pretty much every other major sport and sporting event. Hes the author author of six books about basketball and apart from his awardwinning sportswriting, he brings some very serious pasco bona fides and u. S. Captain of the Basketball Team. Captain of his high school team. Almost captain of the team at yale. So he brings some bona fides. As to his newest book, you have seen it here. You might think it is an artsy photo book meant to be a coffee table somewhere. And it is true. You can thumb through the books 150 pages and find yourself absorbed by the superb photographs taken by white house photographer pete souza. While it is indeed a beautiful book, it also covers a lot of ground revealing insight into our country, culture and most of all president. Weve often said politics and sport said the same thing and both offer a window into the strength failings of human beings attempting to perform at high levels and often in very stressful situations. The merger of politics and sports, basketball in particular has taken on special meeting with the presidency of barack obama and who better to speak about and document the singular role that one past time has played in the life and work of one american president . No one. No one is as wellpositioned to think about that. The best thing is you dont have to love basketball or even barack obama to love transcendent. Its about so much more than one sport or one man. Its a terrific book and i hope you all read it and tell your friends about it. Please join me now and welcoming Alexander Wolff to politics prose. [applause] boy, that was jacket copy worthy. Thank you so much. Thanks for churning out on a monday night. This is white house lawyer dan everett pumping up ask about in the oval office and oval office and with that as a backdrop by a u. N. Explanation of how it is they came to do this. Shortly after obama was elected in 08 i was asked to do it piece for Sports Illustrated about the role became played in his formation, growing up in hawaii. At age 10, given a basketball by his father, the famous barack obama senior wound up abandoning families shortly after that. Here he is essentially buried in the island scrap in her way to come to terms with identity as a black kid being raised by alter the grand parents. Basketball became essential part of that. Then he goes off to college, to law school, the way he connected with people based on the social circuit connections to people who would help his political career and in a famous almost mythic way we heard the story about how he was certified as future brotherinlaw, taken out for a pickup game and he came back and reported inside your way straight was the exact quote. The book in of fact and the role that the gameplay during the campaign as he introduced himself was not all shy about using the game with l. Bradley, for instance, was very reluctant. They wanted to prove the legitimate policies. After heres a lack good truly before the inauguration i decided lets keep an eye on him and see basketball can kidneys to play a role in the presidency. Through the first term was started to see added in the then governing. As i began to see some of these great autographs featuring basketball,. The last fork in the road was whether he would get it in 2012. If you as a term president david e. Notebook. When indeed he was to give us time to go ahead. This is a wire photograph, but this is the man who certified the future president sitting next to craigs mom, rocco bombas motherinlaw. This is a k. Morgan state played with craigs team at towson back during the first term. Craig made the comment about how he could tell obamas character on the court. One of my colleagues, scott price didnt interview with obama and michelle and craig before the Iowa Caucuses and scott was kind to share the mature with me me, some of the do not make it into the magazine. He asked him about the idea basketball will reveal character. Obama said he thinks its overrated, that craig and his dad swear by that yardstick for measuring character. The president felt there other ways people compensate in other parts of their lives and we can overstate it and i thought that was an interesting instance of him being a little bit of a contrary in in that regard. This is a shot that was taken in l. A. During the first term. The president cooling off after a game of pickup with don cheadle, tobey maguire, George Clooney and George Clooneys then date, a wwe diva. I love this picture because it speaks to pickup basketball is a generational thing. If were lucky not an image from 30 years ago in general ford was president , would probably be Jackie Gleason and bob hope, to pick up basketball i think was really one of the ways obama was able to certify himself as just one of the guys while political opponents were trying to frame him as being the other somewhat exotic. This is something that i get into at some length in the book that are comfortable with as a way to bond where you cant have deals in the midst of a pickup game where you can on the golf course. It does take place that i think is legitimate. This is best as i can tell if the can tell field of photographs ive seen of barack obama playing basketball in shorts. I dont quite understand why. He always plays in sweatpants. But there have been some serious advances in the one id like to think has some legitimacy to it is that he is very selfconscious about his skinny legs. This picture was taken in august on marthas vineyard. If you live his memoir, he talks about pickup basketball and how he learned playing with other africanamerican men in honolulu. You can see parts of yourself that you dont want others to see and its the ability to show armor. That may be part of what is going on here. I think the moment i realized barack obama was a basketball player, even if id never seen him play the game is when he was asked the classic campaign questioned, boxers or briefs. Remember bill clinton was asked the question and bill clinton could not resist answering it. Im barack obama asked the question, his response was i dont answer those humiliating questions, but whatever it is i look good in them. I was about to Pitch Perfect ask about players replied to that question. So there isnt senior year put a whole on the hawaiian state championship team. He didnt play much on it. The gentleman front and center as Chris Maclachlan, his coach, a young man then. They clashed. Maclachlan was pretty rigid in his approach to the game. Obama entirely selftaught on the playground and at one point went into the coachs office had petitioned for more playing time. One of the reasons the game is abided with obama is because he had this experience in high school. Somebody who played the game out and he was quite content to walk away, whereas obama always had this kind of hole in his heart about how basketball hadnt been an entirely satisfying experience during his formative years. But he kept playing that and here he is in 1995 on chicagos south side. Hes in the midst of running for his first bid for ross says as an Illinois State senator. You can see in the foreground a young man with a clip board getting nominating petitions. This is the only further we could find of a 20 year period between his High School Years and when he really got on the National Radar screen. But as they attempted a of a smile on his face that says everything you need to know about his relationship in the game. The Campaign Begins in a way and there is that decision to let him use basketball to closer to the voters that first started to be done in New Hampshire. David axelrod told me they very much wanted him to get men to market retail campaigning situation that they wanted to get away from the classic diner meet and greet and Police Officers or firefighters is a natural way to do it. He also said he didnt want to have been playing basketball to send because in actuality he spoke with a lot of black politicians who needed to speak with white audiences. And a place like New Hampshire he could establish himself as a serious politician, somebody who wouldnt be pigeonholed and introduce basketball. Serious on the university of North Carolina campus scrimmaging with the tar heels. Tyler hansbrough, this is captured by a photographer. You take that image and you pair it with this one. This is a frame grab of him in kuwait in front of the troops, wearing street clothes. Cameras are rolling and he says are going to try a three pointer and it goes through. They said a little bit of the obama narrative for someone young and vigorous and representing a real break from the past. So i go back to that one. The fact that this is North Carolina and he also played the game three and three in indiana, decided to read his states to flip to blue and they are both basketball states. I do one infuse any of this for too much meaning, but is it really a coincidence he was able to narrowly beat out the juries in the general election. This is scott price, my colleague at Sports Illustrated. This is maybe two weeks before the iowa caucus. In 2007. [inaudible] there you are. Scott is here. A daze. Also your son jacks moment in the sun. Scott was very kind to share this interview is with me as i think i heard it mentioned. One of the things scott shared with me when he would go to release his jump shots, the president would come at him and do something i think you called it a little bit cheap. He would talk a little trash, try to distract him. He went on to do an interview with michelle and michelle said he is a trash talker. You shouldve seen his mother played scrabble. I thought that was the most unexpected thing i stumbled across. If theyre trash talk or comes from his mother. Once he got into office, this is again what got me excited about perhaps doing a book. Started filling out brackets for march madness and followed it very keenly. And now even it even republicans are filling out their brackets. Last march Marco Rubio Hillary brackett, jeb bush filled out a bracket. If you contrast that with the initial reaction to father indeterminate, there is a god of his jollity hostility. Most gop is recognize this is a legitimate way to bond with the public. Danny katz is up there, does the bracket every year. He told me that the smithsonian as requested some of these to be put in storage for some future exhibit about how president s bond with the american people. This is a shot piece is a joke in the trophy room of Magic Johnson at home. Pair that image with grant hill with the president. Another were the president is basketball together and domestically and i was unaware of this when i set out on this project. Remember when health care. Of launched as having horrible problems and the pundits were saying Health Care Reform is going to go down in flames because they wouldnt chart to enough young people in Healthy People to sign up to make the exchanges work. The above administration and hhs said the critical period between october and march that they had to ramp up their signups in order to make it work. October to march happens to coincide with the nba season. There was a concerted effort to get Magic Johnson hivpositive, alive the morning with Kidney Disease and active nba players to make psa come much we support for signing up in using nba tv, all those nba channels reaching ethnically diverse, jan uninsured audiences that they had to get and somehow at their side of targets of 10 million people. So assert me a part of it. In terms of governing and more of a global basis, basketball obviously now a global game, obama with device of china making a point about gal named. One of the most interesting things i discovered what was being done in the state department under Hillary Clinton during the first term of the obama administration, ramping up sports diplomacy. There are a lot of pro athletes of all sports to play it through the sports United Program and it was striking to me they said my deadbeat nba players abroad out of the state department and that it is very much part of a policy decision. They get much more bang for their buck, sending women role models added to developing countries. So there wasnt a Championship Basketball Team at any level, male or female but didnt get invited to the white house. In his presidency the lakers got invited a lot and at one point the coach, phil jackson literally said i am going to quote he became instead a thrill is gone. So taking a cue from the Pittsburgh Steelers after they won the super bowl they came and insisted on Community Service in addition to the white house visit. They came in to fold in Community Service and this particular kind the lakers went to a boys and girls club in the district and are checking out hot chick packages to the troops. This is the most consequential figure in the entire administration. This photo was an ap shot taken in a suburb of portauprince, down for a usaid, making a grant of some sort after the earthquake and a jump into a game. I was unaware to the extent to which arne duncan was a three on three player serving in the administration. 2013 he was part of a three on three teams that have won nine of the previous 10 National Hoop it up tournaments. Pretty extraordinary in addition to becoming the mvp of the nba allstar celebrity game. At the same time he delivered a speech at the convention in 2010 in atlanta where he reached the organization for their very lax standards on the academic progress rate. Dnca you may remember pass legislation that would require colleges to hit a certain threshold in terms of academic progress that the app is to be eligible to play in tournaments. Arne duncan correctly said they were laughably low the standards. He essentially challenged the nca, ended up raising standards and when you cant come at the mens Basketball Team is unable to defend their championship, it was because of the higher standards. Arne duncan not real popular in the state of connecticonnecti cut as part of this legacy when he leaves office here next month. Ill give equal time to the other side of the aisle. During the republicans on the left you will perhaps recognize two of the koch brothers. That is david cote, number 24 and his brother william, not charles, maybe slightly more prominent these days. Up until a few years ago, the singlegame scoring record at m. I. T. And on the right you have a much more dynamic photo. That is just like a job doing in the back round, two senators and people tell me that john did is probably the best player in the senate. For whatever that is worth. One of my favorite lectures. Pictures. That is the president s personal aide during his first term on the left. Obama started to play less and less basketball towards the end of the first term and jumped into this, how a little more of a role as a dad and a coach with sasha who was more into basketball dan malia was. This is also a dramatic a little bit of how he got religion on sports and womens basketball. When he saw that his first tournament he only sold at a mens bracket and got a lot of pushback on that. There is a lot of talk in the first turn from women who felt that thought this pic of male bonding going on but they were being used a fact excluded from some of the decisionmaking going on. Obama started in his second march filled up both male and female tournament like it brackets. Getting involved with coaching made him more sensitized to womens sports. [inaudible] read of connecticut avenue. That is my primary County High SchoolElementary School date. So that was taken just up the road here. How about that. You can see it as my undershirt. I believe Vice President titans granddaughter was one of the teammate. Im sure there are plenty of circumstances. It sounds like you are there. I knew i was speaking to a knowledgeable audience. This feeds right into the last picture. Two reasons i love the picture. One of that has the kind of camelot kennedy the equivalent of the blackandwhite shot of caroline and john john boling under the desk. I had to cajole a little bit to let us use the image because their lack to release pictures of the girls, but he went through the proper protocol is to get permission. The other thing is obama has said his failure to become a more domesticated basketball player had something to do with his father have been much. My dad was never able to take me to the park and work on my right hand to become a more wellrounded player. Sure enough hes working on this offhand. I dont know whether his daughters are lefthanded or not, but the fact they dribble righthanded to me has a lot of meaning. And then he did take 12 stitches in 2010 the day after escaping that led him to play a lot less basketball after that and a lot more golf. This section in the book about this phenomenon is called the inevitability of golf, something that president s for sound reasons find a refuge in for a guy who grew up in hawaii a chance to be outside means a whole lot. The inevitability of golf. We will move right on from that. But the fare to Chicago Bulls. They showed up for the 49th Birthday Party the president had at fort mcnair. This is probably a carryover from some of the connection obama had his players when he ran in 08. Nba locker rooms became more politicized as a result of the campaign. One of the reasons he was able to enlist ted and things Like Health Care is relationship was can tenured. They are in the middle of the image a number of years later shows up here in brooklyn a brick when mets game. He said he was friend in chicago and the street below decide this is something he wants to do. It caused some anxious moments in the nba office. People like adam silver had to come but how much they won a court to become the public square. If this had happened more often come in the nba but it got the hammer down. They assume its a big part in the game at the age of obama. The locker rooms became politicized. Things like what happened in this area but the Football Team siding with students who had issues with the administration is just a natural out the vote we saw. Its not like were giving marching orders from the house. Its a matter of a generation kind of overthrowing the whole paradigm that we may remember from Michael Jordan, the whole Jerry Maguire show me the money attitude from the early two thousands. If you are here, he is not. Hes in a show with the president. A couple of images in the book that he nominated as his favorite. This is the first term shot taken on the old south on tennis court, which the president has to be converted into a Basketball Court. Very casual image that Late Afternoon and also loves this picture. This is chris paul for the mud brothers Keeper Initiative and before the picture was taken, chris paul was chitchatting within. He thought that was kind of odd because chris had performed in front of huge crowds of people. At that very moment, the president came over and said to mean to him that lightened the mood and that is the very moment that pete captured in happened to get a basketball hoop in as well. This is probably my favorite image in the book, has a little bit of a local angle. This is an ap photo are Washington Post staff photo. The gentleman raised in his hand is most often may be familiar to some of you. The longtime pa man in d. C. And he got wind of the was going to attend the wizards game and put on a tshirt appropriate to the occasion. The wizards have it down and apparently at that moment says to the president , what about the limo because this game is the rap. That is the aftermath of that. I love this story because even in its colloquial exchange, they called him scare. That is a tour through the book, certainly the photographic parts of the book and comments i could think of that sync up with him. I would love to field your questions and comments. One of the games that is a lot of fun as extrapolating a little bit. People love to talk about his personality on the court and how you might be evident of that in the way he governs. I am struck us who watched the last half of the second term go by how much you can almost look at those four quarters of his presidency as an ea game and his performed almost the way for a branding nba player or team that performed coming out the First Quarter pretty effectively and losing focus in the Second Quarter and has a bit of a late after getting reelected at halftime, but a real struggle towards the end of the third and it only after the Fourth Quarter begins that he renews his focus. Indeed, there is a famous Cabinet Meeting right after the 2014 midterms for obama passed out to everyone in the room a car they said we are to enter the Fourth Quarter. Interesting things happen in the Fourth Quarter. He didnt use the word basketball, but the metaphor was pretty clear. Any questions or comments . Two new mac for your attention. [applause] please make your way to a microphone for the recorded questions. We here in washington note in washington know that at least as far back as William Howard taft, to show us what regular guys they are. It sounds like you would argue it is more authentic. Would that be fair . That would be fair. Its a chance to see exactly as he is. I think that is why he is so willing to jump the New Hampshire when they suggested he do this. That rodriguez was a staffer on the campaign who came up with the idea and i didnt have to twist his arm. He didnt need any excuse to play. Hes been strikingly stubborn about ignoring criticism about how he spends his time generally, but i dont think he was going to get pushed off filling out a bracket ending march by anybody complaining about the appropriateness of the or anything. This is very much who he is and is very comfortable doing it. The social circles that he has been by choice. The same way he doesnt golf with washingtwashingt on power brokers. It seems that the cost of ask about players more than anything. More recently fast curry because i think its a little bit of a front runner. You are right on the money with that. It is who he is and he is quite calm about being a basketball player, he being in a gene and slightly washed up one. My question you just raised about who he calls with. He is famously enjoys his four sons and keeps the power brokers out. What about the Basketball Court and has he taken on senator or any other groups . Does he mix it up on the court . Any evidence he is using that to develop a couple of relationships on the side that we dont know about. Theres been so little basketball leg is the first term. You know, i think well go out to southland corp. Because he has visitors and grab some of the uconn womens players when they came to be honored and went down to the court. Early in his first term there was a congressional game, cabinet members, including congressman from illinois who walked out of his address to congress on health care in protest of the accepted the invitation to go play basketball at the white house and treated out how much fun he had. I dont know, basketball is a great leveler in a lot of ways. Even his instinct as a call for to find the common person. I know that hasnt come out for blood dependency would like to see him reach across the aisle and that is not his style. [inaudible] nor were they included. They have a couple of photos of Samantha Power and susan rice to play high school basketball. One of the interesting thing and how many people who play very seriously. That became that is what helps make it a pretty exclusive club. Theres a gentleman in town, r. Jackson who runs oneonone basketball and he became the procurer of people for this game. Up until the moment where they have to have 12 stitches, the games were really intent and the president made sure he had arne duncan on his team. A very good player at yale. I think if it had been a little more recreational and a little less serious, there mightve been a little more of a willingness to bring women into the game. As it is, the fact that Samantha Power, susan rice and the sec chairman has a basketball background, that speaks simply to have the game is this ecumenical activity and health speak to why it is he was able to use it to connect with people on such a broad uses. I want to attach that alex has a great stroke. I did stats for that team he was captain of way back when. I wanted to ask you, how good is the president . Great question. He cant go to his right. Hes kind of onedimensional. He has a service take to his right and then go to his left. David stern buried famously just 10 in a tv interview, but hes not that good. But what it does have is the ability to play with people who are better than he has. If we are going to extrapolate about how that carries over to the presidency, that is but a chief executive is. Surround yourself with People Better than you are, who are expert and you have to kind of process what is around you. From descriptions of his game today, which is a different kind of game they may have growing up in hawaii, it sounds like people talk about what Craig Robinson said to me. His game is a lot like lenny wilkens, kind of calm, brings order to the situation. Even harvard law school, the player people would describe me whereas the player that Chris Maclachlan had in hawaii sounded anything but that. I think what ended up happening when he moved to chicago he was in the company of arne duncan and john rogers who shared his inoculation committee is as the captain of princeton and Marty Nesbitt and Eric Whitaker worked at division iii players. These guys are in his circle and they are organized players. His game changed. He became more domesticated. So while he hasnt somebody who would take over a game, he is somebody who could hit two or three shots in a row with certainly find a teammate hitting two or three shots in a row. I heard that from a number of people. People who played with him at the university of chicago said hes someone you wanted on your team. He wasnt going to be the linchpin. He wasnt going to be a Michael Jordan or scottie pippen, but he was going to be the ron harper if he wants used to Chicago Bulls analogy. They are quick to point out the one photo op where he and his 20 in a row and most of them up close but they characterize as a poser. Spacebar two for 22. We know a little bit too much about this. There is a congressman from florida who got it in his campaign. He had been a very good player at purdue and a shooter. He has footage of that in this campaign. You know,, challenge you, my place or yours. He turned that in to a whole campaign. It can be dangerous if you build yourself up as an athlete. Its a magic touch when the camera was stolen and kuwait but he still went two for 22. Basketball is a sport you kind of have to stay in basketball shape to be effective at. And if ever there were a job where you cant really do that, i think the president has that job. Shes the fitness fanatic. She is in incredible shape. [inaudible] ive wondered how he could lose some of these other players and also how we manage is to avoid getting injured . I think he does exercise in the morning. Basketball players will tell you their shape and theres basketball she. That was the exchange, scott, and maybe jack at what the president that just before you guys played one on one, and jack gave you up and tell the president. The president is basically trying to weasel out of scotts son a scouting report. And jack says scott really hasnt been in basketball shape. Obama is smart, hes thinking maybe i can outlast them. He finds in the morning a chance to do some aerobics to, but that isnt the cutting and jumping. You really need to do that on a regular basis. And he has only been playing much competitive basketball lately. So its a little bit disconcerting as i was working on this. You may remember right around the midterm there was this fury of opposites and editorials about what can you do to get his presidency back on track. The economist said he should play more golf. Golf is a game that price is the culprit and thats what president s need to have. Acy from council on Foreign Relations a good oped for the post in which he said no, mr. President , you need to go back to basketball because its an arena. Politics is an arena if you need to stick your nose in it. I certainly come down more on that side. This question is not along the lines of the others or perhaps even your book. Im an american but i spent the last 50 years in europe. I do not know any european president , Vice President , anything who goes to bring baseball, basketball, soccer or anything, or any journalist would even ask how is your such and such a game, or whether any voter gives a damn whether they play sports or not. I think this would apply to latin america where they are crazy about soccer and applies also to asia where once again president s would not engage in a game and make it part of their election campaign. Why this, i dont know what, insanity with the, you know, why this mixing of sports and politics in the United States which doesnt seem to happen elsewhere . Because we are obsessed with trivia and we have a debate system. I dont know. Thats a great question. Im not sure i accept the premise entirely that other leaders are not engaged with sports. I think the spanish prime minister, basketball guy. The president of lithuania at one point was a basketball guy. In fact, he was accused in the campaign of being a bigger fan of the Chicago Bulls in the Lithuania National team. I dont know. I think our politics is one thats so personality driven, and sport is very much tied up in personalities. I think people like me and scott are partly to blame for that. You know, we find athletes really interesting and we are asked to write about them. We probably conflict them more than they really are. Conflate. Thats part of the culture. This book is documenting a little book what our culture is right now. And to be fair to sport at the people who write about politics and sport, theres a best selling book about residents and golf, going back to teddy roosevelt. Its really rare weve had a president who wasnt engaged to some degree with the sport. Richard nixon was contacting george allen with place for the redskins to run. Roosevelt wanted to reform college football. I dont think its a bad thing that chief executives are engaged in this think that the American Public is so engaged with. Certainly the pictures of derrick rose i think remind us that sport in these issues in our society so often are getting entangled one with the other. So long as that is happening i dont think we really want people in this town to be ignoring those intersections and those adjacencies. [inaudible] to prove to me from playing soccer. Of course, castro in cuba [inaudible] and scott is one who wrote the book, literally wrote the book about cuba in baseball, so thank you for pointing that out. I think it will only become more and more the case, and we have all these forces that are trying to drive wedges between different cultures and different states, and sport is one of those things that i think is causing countries and cultures to come a little closer together. I certainly notice that with soccer in this country. I like nothing more for my son to follow my passion and basketball. I have to study with premier league and soccer to keep up with them. After i get over the wounded pride part of a, i feel grateful for the. Thats kind of what the next generation is going and i want to be right there with it. Putin definitely placed sports. In fact good and and hockey is something that its almost a parallel. So thank you for incorporating a storyline on the state departments sports diplomacy work. Assistant secretary Evan Ryan Sims regard, and empowering women and girls through sports initiative, and its a wnba portfolio has expanded in the past few years in lockstep with president obamas efforts out on the court. Im just curious as to, after his presidency where you see his relationship with basketball going. He will have more time, be able to play. I dont know if you think that he will invest more in maybe sashas playing or maybe have a foundation that uses basketball as a platform domestically or internationally. Just where you think youll go with it. I dont expect him to throw his hat int in the ring for mba commissioner or anything like that. What i would be surprised not to see happen is, he will be launching this foundation that takes the my brothers Keeper Initiative thats been started in the white house and turned it into an ongoing thing or his postpresidency. I would be surprised if he doesnt somehow even in a passing way is basketball as a teaching tool, as a way to bond with some of these at risk urban young men that is trying to reach. Because he has written and spoken really eloquently about kind of flip side of basketball has. It was at this thing that engaged in and has been his companion. As i tried to document your, has helped into so many things. But he also is very clear eyed about how he had a misspent youth risk to a. Some kids in the old days wound up in pool halls, and for him there were times in his life that he asked himself really, isnt all about hanging out with my buddies and playing basketball. I think if you were to share that with some of these my brothers keepers guys, i think he would have credibility. I think he would be reaching them at a place where they are reachable. And so giving them the truth, which is this is something that can do the exercise, companionship, and you can coach your son. You can be a better dad, or your daughters and be a better dad, and at the same time know that it has its proper place and this time for other things. In some ways thats almost what i hope for his postpresidency. The one thing i would love to see between now and when he leaves office because i feel thats kind of a one unconsummated part with the game, is i would love to see the Chicago Bulls have a bit of a run in the playoffs before he leaves office. He is such a faithful bulls fan and the that such hard luck with injuries, and that would be, i would really bring it full circle. I noticed he was at their opening game against cleveland and get an interview with David Aldridge on tnt. He clearly has bulls on the brain would be a nice [inaudible] isnt that the truth. Any final questions . Thank you so much. [applause] if you wouldnt mind holding up your chairs, putting them to the side, our staff will love you forever. And thank you all for coming out. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] you are watching booktv, television for serious readers. Watch any program you see here online at booktv. Org. Longtime White House Reporter april ryan has written a book called the presidency in black and white. How long have you been covering the white house and why do you write about it . Peter, ive been covering the white house for 18 years. I write about it because its very important. People need to know whats happening. The leader of the free world, what is he doing . Whats happening . If the bond especially now with the first black president is beyond the fact he uses has been. You want to give him take a picture of him signing a bill. Its about actual issues that affect america. Look at the times were in right now. You want to know everything president ial. What makes up is about process of maybe not sending a telegram to suit to fight isis. What is in his mind when he thinks about womens issues but when he feels great . Everyone needs to know what the president is thinking and i happened to be privileged to be one of the few people in this country who get a chance to the up close the of the presidency and the president of the United States. People need to hear about it. What is the black and white . The black and white is cyclical. It is something that continue to happen since the enslavement of africans in this country. There is a problem with race in this country and has yet to be fixed. We saw the Civil Rights Movement in the 50s and 60s. We saw major legislation, we saw major laws but theyre still an intrinsic problem that needs to be fixed. Today we are now seeing differences between black yemen and the police can not sing we dont support law enforcement. We do, but there has to be a weaning out about police. There is still a problem at the station. A lot of the problem is subtle. Some of it is overt. And ive talked to president obama recently on a flight going to selma hickey said he is here to still close the gap because the gap still remains in the station. So there are still gaps in the station that need to be closed. Hopefully the next president will deal with those issues as well. This is an issue that is not going away. We havent been able to get right yet. Other countries are watching is. If somebody picks up the presidency in black and white will to hear some personal stories about you working in the white house . And its a what is one you want to share it . Yes. When the person picks up the presidency in black and white, they will get very his views. They will get various stories. Firsthand stories from the president s themselves, on the record from barack obama, bill clinton, former first lady laura bush, colin powell, condi rice, a host of people. Want to find out are some of the things that really happened in the white house when it comes to raise or their thoughts on certain issues about race. I remember a story one of the most compassionate stories of my life, owing to the Art Galleries just a few feet away from the white house with then first lady laura bush. These dissenters of slaves from alabama made these quilts and ultimately, im giving a synopsis synopsis of a synopsis, ultimate the first lady toward all the rooms and at the end of the tour, about five black women, black women who i do not believe the republicans, just wanted a bit of recognition that were so happy to just embraced the first lady and started screaming thank you jesus and started crying. A descendent of