Barack Obama had one of the best seats in the house to watch the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA on Wednesday night – but he didn’t bring wife Michelle along with him.
Amid months-long divorce rumors facing the couple, who have been married for 32 years, the former President sat with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer – a former Microsoft CEO – and his wife Connie Snyder for the game against Detroit Pistons.
Obama got a massive reception when he was introduced to the crowd during an interval in the game, standing up and waving to fans who had packed out the 18,000-seater Intuit Dome in Inglewood.
The 63-year-old has faced months of intensifying scrutiny over his marriage. Obama was notably alone at Jimmy Carter’s state funeral and Donald Trump‘s inauguration, where Michelle broke tradition by declining to attend.
Last October, actress Jennifer Aniston publicly shut down ‘absolutely untrue’ claims by a US gossip magazine that she and Barack were in a relationship – making Michelle feel ‘betrayed.’
The rumor was compounded by the hosts of a popular pop culture podcast Who? Weekly, who claimed that the Obamas were ‘living separate lives’ while he and Jennifer were having a full-blown affair.
Barack Obama sat courtside in the NBA on Wednesday to watch the Clippers beat the Pistons
Obama was once again seen without his wife Michelle for the game in Los Angeles
But Obama got a huge reception from the crowd when he was introduced during an interval
The Friends star told a US TV chat show host: ‘I’ve met him once. I know Michelle more than him.’
If he is facing marriage troubles, a night at the basketball might have been a welcome distraction for the 44th President given he is a huge fan of the sport.
And both teams put on a fantastic show in front of such a distinguished guest. Star Clippers point guard James Harden scored 50 points as the hosts won 123-115 against the visiting Pistons.
Obama was also greeted with a hug by the Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue. He is actually a fan of the Chicago Bulls, however, having moved to the city in 80s and eventually serving as Illinois State Senator.
But in the early days of his time in the city, Obama struggled to afford tickets to see the all-conquering Bulls team, led by Michael Jordan, in action.
‘When Michael first came to town, I didn’t have the money to buy tickets for a Bulls game, even the discount ones back in the day,’ Obama once said. ‘I was pretty broke.’
His brother-in-law, Craig Robinson, has also enjoyed a career in the sport himself – both as a coach and in front office positions.
After working as a coach at college level for Oregon State for six years from 2008 until 2014, Robinson became vice president of player organization for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2016.
Obama’s repeated public appearances without wife Michelle have led to divorce rumors
Obama was hugged by Clippers coach Tyronn Lue in a warm welcome for the NBA game
Obama sat between Ballmer and his wife Connie as the Clippers beat the Pistons by eight
He had that role for one year before heading to the Big Apple to take up a similar position with the New York Knicks. Robinson left that job in 2020.
Obama’s NBA appearance also comes a day after Donald Trump’s Congress speech.
Sports featured in his address, where he railed against trans athletes competing in women’s sports by introducing a former high school volleyball player in Payton McNabb.
She was severely injured when a trans player spiked a ball in her face, leaving her with a concussion, brain bleed and permanent whiplash. And she later said that she also dealt with partial paralysis and vision problems.
