Justin Timberlake

It's no secret that President Obama is a basketball aficionado -- he played for the Punahou High School basketball team in Honolulu in the '70s, and can often be found shooting hoops on the court set up on the South Lawn of the White House. What's more, his brother-in-law is the head basketball coach at Oregon State, so basketball is all around him.

Photo via Deadspin

In the following interview, the President sits down with Hall-of-Fame announcer Marv Albert to discuss the state of the NBA, including his thoughts on sports teams' role in the greater community, his prediction for the outcome of this year's NBA Finals, and the future of coveted free agent LeBron James. This last point has raised some arms in Cleveland, who are desperate to keep their superstar from packing up for greener pastures. President Obama, ever the Chicago sports fan, gently suggests that James would look mighty fine in a Chicago Bulls uniform. Reaction to that from Clevelanders ranges from taking a bit of umbrage to outright indignation. And they say sports is the great uniter...

Bonus Video: the Prez is the real deal on the court too, boy. He beat former College All-American Clark Kellogg in a game of HORSE (or in this case POTUS -- which, of course, stands for President Of The United States). Think Kellogg let him win?

If you hadn't planned to go see Nas and Damian "Junior Gong" Marley on tour this summer, we bid you to reconsider.  Not only has their brand-new album Distant Relatives - laced with hip hop reggae beats in celebration of both artists' African roots - made Billboard's top 5 the first week of release, their current live show is bombastic, complete with an energetic live band, dedicated flag wavers, tribal dancers, and two talented artists as passionate about their cause as the delivery of potent verse. Considering all proceeds of the album and the tour go to charity (the musicians hope to raise enough to build a school in Africa), it's an excellent feel-good, guilt-free excuse to groove along with strangers and friends, way past your bed time. You liked Welcome To Jamrock's “Road To Zion”? Get ready for this.

Exclusive Photos: Nas and Damian Marley Live At Fox Theater, Oakland

Tour Dates:

May 2010
28 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
29 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
30 - Valley Center, CA Harrah's Rincon - Open Sky Theater
31- Los Angeles, CA UCLA - Jazz Reggae Festival

June 2010
2 - Santa Fe, NM - Paolo Soleri Amphitheatre
8 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
9 - Austin, TX - Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater
11 - Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo Music Festival
12 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
13 - Orlando, FL - House of Blues

July 2010
31 - Brooklyn, NY - Williamsburg Waterfront

Photos and commentary by Faith-Ann Young

We've ramped up our soccer coverage lately, with an eye toward next month's World Cup. True, soccer is yet to be as popular within our borders as it is outside, but it is not lost on us that the U.S. National team has quietly improved its standing in the international football community. With Finals appearances at both the '09 Confederations and Gold Cup Tournaments, The U.S. enters the World Cup with its hopes never higher. On Wednesday, Coach Bob Bradley announced the 23 men who will represent the stars and stripes in South Africa against the world's best.

photo via ussoccer.com

Here, now, the U.S. World Cup Team:

Goalkeepers: Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, Brad Guzan.

Defenders: Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra, Jay DeMerit, Jonathan Spector, Steve Cherundolo, Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Bornstein.

Midfielders: Michael Bradley, Maurice Edu, Stuart Holden, Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber, Jose Torres, DaMarcus Beasley.

Midfielder-forwards: Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan.

Forwards: Jozy Altidore, Edson Buddle, Herculez Gomez, Robbie Findley.

LA Galaxy teammates Edson Buddle (L) and Landon Donovan (R) headline the US National Team. (Getty Images)

President Obama will spend Thursday hosting the team at his place of residence.

As for games, here's a quick look at their upcoming schedule.

Remaining U.S. friendlies:

Saturday: Turkey at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field, 2 p.m. ET (ESPN and Galavision).
Saturday, June 5: Australia in Roodepoort, South Africa

U.S. team's World Cup first-round matches (Group C):

June 12: England
June 18: Slovenia
June 23: Algeria

Coach Bob Bradley (in white) leads the U.S. National Team. (Martin Mejia/Associated Press)

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