“I can’t imagine more fun than having a good pickup basketball game,” says Baller-In-Chief (B.I.C.) Barack Obama in a great interview with Bryant Gumbel on HBO Real Sports that aired on Monday night.

In case you missed it:

The Notorious B.I.C. (Obama) does a great job. It’s clear he loves basketball. He speaks of what it’s done for him. He speaks of legends like Julius Erving. And my man has real game, as this never before seen on-court footage proves.

You have to like Gumbel in this segment too, because he understands the passion of sports and keeps digging in that direction, which only serves the B.I.C. even more.

But I disagree with Gumbel’s claim that basketball “cannot be separated from the issue of race.” I am certain that exactly the opposite is true, isn’t it?

For me personally, the B.I.C. inspires a couple of things.

First, I’ve been playing more basketball and paying attention to my fitness. Maybe that’s just ’cause summer’s coming, or maybe I see myself playing on that White House basketball court one day (BTW I think Gumbel learned about that court from yours truly on this blog). Or maybe both, ’cause it’s the right thing to do anyway.

Next, I’m inspired to practice what I preach even more, in terms of imagining and envisioning how “things” will turn out, focusing on the possibilities, believing in positive outcomes, and trusting that everyone and every situation is “out to help me.” And also in terms of connecting genuinely with my family, with people, with my surroundings, with my world, and with the times.

We’re in a rare situation where a presidential candidate is actually encouraging people to bring out their best. And did you notice how conscious Senator Obama is about what really matters?

Basketball, of course!

But also, to be awake to our power to change the world one moment at a time and thereby, just like the pioneers of the Black Fives Era, to make history now.

(My thanks to BounceMag.com for giving us this heads up on this segment. Photograph courtesy of HBO Sports.)