Former President Obama surprises WNBA All-Stars at practice - ESPN

CHICAGO — Barack Obama surprised the WNBA All-Stars on Friday, visiting them at the Obama Presidential Center's indoor basketball court. He shook hands, posed for photos and even gave a little heartfelt advice to Caitlin Clark.

The Indiana Fever guard, an All-Star for the third time, has been at the center of media and social media debates and commentaries since she entered the WNBA in 2024 as the No. 1 pick. The former president told Clark to hold on to her joy.

«You're great, you're fantastic. Don't let all this nonsense get you down,» Obama said to the 24-year-old Clark in a video posted on social media by X user @zulueditsae. «You know, I always say one of the things that was luckiest for me was that I didn't get famous until I was like 45. You're my daughters' age.

»To have that much immersion in nonsense… don't lose that joy. The game's the game, and you're a hooper. You're always hooping, and you're on a nice little run right now."

Clark, whose 17-10 Fever have won five of their past six games entering the All-Star break, asked Obama for a photo and later said how much his words meant to her.

«You always remember why you play the game. I play it because I love it and I haven't lost that joy,» Clark told reporters. «There's going to be some people that love you and some people that hate you, and that's just the reality of the world when you get into a position like this. That's also a good thing for the game. Not everybody's going to be your biggest fan.

»I'm trying to navigate a lot of different things while trying to play basketball at the same time. So it was cool to hear that from him. And I think, honestly, it's probably a good reminder for all of us of treating people with respect, treating people with grace,