On the day after the president honored players, coaches, management, staff, family and friends of the defending NBA champion Lakers in a ceremony, Kobe Bryant and his wife, Vanessa, plus girls Natalia and Gianna returned to the White House.
The Bryants met privately with Obama and first lady Michelle Obama for about 20 minutes before Bryant joined the Lakers for their morning shoot around several blocks away at the Verizon Center.
“It was great,” Bryant said of the family get-together. “He spent a great deal of time talking to my kids. We talked about the season and how it’s progressing. It was good just to have that time. Just catching up, because I had never met him before.”
Bryant said he spoke with Obama about another visit during the offseason.
“We talked about getting together over the summer and playing a little pick-up basketball at the White House,” he said. “That would be great.”
