Obama meets Captain Richard Phillips and then plays hoops

What do Jackie Moon and President Obama have in common? They both dominate on the basketball court.

That's exactly what the president did in some pick up games this afternoon. And perhaps it was the meeting with a true American hero that led to such a commanding performance.

Shortly before the president crushed his opponents (he was playing Sasha and Malia), he met with Captain Richard Phillips and his wife Andrea in the Oval Office.

Hostage

You remember that Phillips was the captain of the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama when Somali pirates stormed the ship and took him hostage for five days. In fact, he volunteered himself to be held hostage in order to protect his crew.

Reporters weren't allowed in to the meeting but the White House did release a photo (above).

And we do know the president already thinks highly of Phillips. After the Navy SEALS rescued the captain, President Obama said, "I share the country’s admiration for the bravery of Captain Phillips and his selfless concern for his crew. His courage is a model for all Americans."

Basketball

As for the basketball game, we were just joking about the president playing his daughters Sasha and Malia. Although we think he could beat them.

Instead, he was playing with his personal assistant Reggie Love and some of Reggie's friends. Love is no stiff. He was a forward on Duke's national championship team in 2001 and was the captain of the team in 2005.

But maybe his game is gone. After the contest, Love got out of the presidential van with a bandage on his chin and said he might need stitches.

What happened? According to the pool report "the president and his team kicked their far younger butts on the court beating them in three out of five games of 21."

No word if Love said, "It was just like the Titanic but with bears."

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Hey, the next time we play basketball with President Obama, we'll let you know about it on Twitter.  So follow us!