US President Barack Obama (R) walks to his car with Secret Service Agents after a game of basketball with firends and aides on November 26, 2010 at Fort McNair in Washington, DC. AFP PHOTO
Posted Saturday, November 27 2010 at 14:07
WASHINGTON
US President Barack Obama had to get 12 stitches on his upper lip Friday after being struck in the face by an elbow during a basketball game, the White House said.
"After being inadvertently hit with an opposing player's elbow in the lip while playing basketball with friends and family, the president received 12 stitches today administered by the White House Medical Unit," spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a statement.
Obama was given local anesthetic during the treatment, Gibbs said, adding that he was given a smaller filament that increases the number of stitches to ensure a smaller scar.
The White House later identified the man who struck the president as Rey Decerega, the program director at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, who said the game was all in good fun and did not apologize.
"I learned today the president is both a tough competitor and a good sport. I enjoyed playing basketball with him this morning. I'm sure he'll be back out on the court again soon," Decerega said in a statement.
The White House said Obama was playing defense in the fifth of five games at a gym in Fort McNair military base in Washington when Decerega went to take a shot and accidentally hit the president in the mouth.
An avid basketball fan and player, Obama often plays with friends, including his towering personal aide Reggie Love, who played Friday.
Obama has a famous love for the game, and often displays skills on the court that are the envy of many of his compatriots.
A game among friends became a ritual for him throughout the long campaign for the White House in 2008.
For his birthday this year he traded passes and scuffles at the White House with a number of the game's current greats, including Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James of the Miami Heat, and former NBA star Earvin "Magic" Johnson. AFP
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