As a former state champion in the state of Hawaii, former U.S. President Barack Obama has a certain affinity for the game of basketball. This love for the game became evident during his tenure in office, and he personally met with several NBA players along the way, including Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.

Barack Obama and LeBron James forged quite a relationship, and it's a bond that lasts to this day. In this piece, we'll take a look back at a few of the memorable encounters they've shared over the years.

A champions welcome

For our first encounter between LeBron James and Barack Obama, we'll go back to the end of the 2011-12 NBA season. To the NBA Finals, to be precise.

After seven years of playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, James made a life-changing decision in the summer of 2010, deciding to “take his talents to South Beach” and play with the Miami Heat. There he would play alongside Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in what became one of the first “big three” lineups.

Their first season together didn't go as planned, as James and the Heat fell to Dirk Nowitzki's Dallas Mavericks in six games. In the following campaign, however, LeBron finally got over the proverbial hump to claim his first NBA championship with a 4-1 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. For his outstanding play in the series, the Akron native earned his first Finals MVP award.

At that time, it was still tradition for championship teams to visit the White House. When Obama extended an invitation, the Heat graciously accepted. For many fans in Miami, this was the start of an epic run of success. Ultimately, though, the King decided to return to his hometown Cavs in 2014, but more on that later…

“Today I'm honored to welcome a little up-and-coming basketball team to the White House called the world champion Miami Heat,” Barack Obama joked during his welcome speech to the team.

Olympic visit

It was 2012, and the stars of Team USA Basketball were on their way to London to participate in the Olympic games, where they were looking to defend their gold medals. Obama actually met with the team in a locker room setting prior to their departure for a few words of encouragement. The former president also sat courtside for an exhibition game against Brazil. Led by 30 points, six rebounds, and four steals from LeBron James, the American side forced 23 turnovers to capture an 80-69 win.

During that matchup, Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, were caught on the in-house television monitors during the ‘Kiss Cam' segment.

The former president did not hesitate to deliver:

Following a 98-71 victory over France, which was Team USA's Olympic opener, the players made a pointed effort to meet with Michelle Obama, who was in attendance at the London-area arena.

Before trotting back to the locker room, all of the players made their way over to the former First Lady's seat, where they were each met with a hug.

“Tell J.R. to put a shirt on.”

In the summer of 2014, James made yet another life-changing decision, opting to return to the Cavs after winning two championships with the Heat. The city of Cleveland had been devoid of a title of any kind for 52 years until 2016, when LeBron led the Cavs to their first NBA championship.

Alongside players like Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith, the Cavs managed to overcome a 3-1 Finals deficit against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors — a team that won 73 games in the regular season. This marked the first time in NBA history that a team had come back from such a deficit.

It was a magical time in Northeast Ohio, with over one million people showing up for the Cavs' championship parade:

As it was while he was with the Heat, LeBron James and the Cavs were invited to the White House after claiming the Larry O'Brien Trophy:

In what became one of the funnier moments from this era, Barack Obama asked J.R. Smith to put a shirt on during a congratulatory phone call with then-Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue:

Advising a finish

For our next encounter, we'll jump into 2020, a year that has been headlined by the coronavirus pandemic.

The virus made its way into the NBA in March, when Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert became the first confirmed case in the league. His teammate, Donovan Mitchell, tested positive shortly after. As a result, commissioner Adam Silver and his partners decided it was best to postpone the season.

Play resumed in July, but the circumstances were much different than what the players were used to. The NBA invited all but eight of its teams to participate in a medically-sound bubble complex in Florida.

Around the same time, a movement for social justice was swelling throughout the United States. Citizens and athletes alike were upset with the way African-American men and women were being treated by authorities. This frustration came to a boil when Jacob Blake was shot by a police officer near Kenosha, Wisconsin on August 23, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.

Clearly affected by this close-to-home shooting, players from Milwaukee Bucks decided to stop playing in a effort to raise awareness for social justice. There was some fear that the season could be in jeopardy, but a phone call between James and Obama helped to bring everyone onto the same page.

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LeBron James was actually in favor of stopping the season — if there was no plan for action. However, Obama urged the former No. 1 overall pick to play, noting that he should use the rest of the bubble campaign as an opportunity to shed light on this issue. With this slight nudge from Obama, LeBron decided to stay.

Via NBC Sports and The Athletic:

Former President Barack Obama spoke to James, National Basketball Players Association president Chris Paul and a small group of players late Wednesday evening, advising them to play and utilize the opportunity to contextualize action they want in order to play, The Athletic has learned.

James, Paul and others wanted to seek the guidance of the 44th President of the United States (2009-2017), and on the call broached forming a committee for player action that they want Obama involved in, sources told The Athletic.

It's hard to say what would have become of the 2019-20 NBA season if LeBron had decided to pack it in. He's one of the biggest stars on the planet, and the league is driven by names like his. After this conversation with Obama, James helped to formulate a plan to push for action on the social justice front.

A new meeting

According to several reports, Barack Obama is stopping by LeBron James' HBO series, “The Shop,” for a special episode on the Friday ahead of the elections. The former president sent out a tweet on Tuesday about his appearance on the show, noting that he'd be talking about the Nov. 3 election.

In one teaser for the episode, Obama congratulates James for winning the 2020 NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers.

“LeBron James, one more ring, one more trophy,” the former president says.

James has since noted that it was a huge honor to have Obama on the show:

“My President giving us the perspective and motivation we need right now,” James said, via USA Today. “GO VOTE!!!”

Without a doubt, LeBron James and Barack Obama share a jovial relationship. Nowadays, though, they're working together on important issues that must be addressed. Let's see where their friendship goes from here.