President Obama in conversation with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Love, and Chris Paul

- Welcome everyone, good afternoon. - Good afternoon. - Welcome to Chicago, my hometown, for those of you who are not from here. We decided to welcome him with appropriate weather for the most part, I think he survived and we're going to start with an incredible panel that I'm proud to sit here and try to facilitate. And I think the introductions come next. Do we have a particular request, Sam, that we want to do that? - The first guest. (moderator laughing) - Sometimes you save the best for last. 44th

president

of the United States of America. (Audience applauding) Mr.

Barack Obama. - I don't need an introduction. - It doesn't need an introduction but we have one. The current NBA MVP, among others, Giannis Antetokounmpo. A man who helped define the position now of power forward, Kevin Love. And one of the great point guards in the history of sports, the Olympian Chris Paul. (Audience applauding) - Oh man. - Alright. - Uncle B., what's going on? (Audience laughs) - It's good to see you. Welcome to Chicago for those of you who are not natives. It's always sunny and hot in Chicago. This is unusual, isn't it? - The sun yesterday was unusual. (laughing) - That's true.

Good to see you Michael, thank you so much for agreeing to do it. - Thanks for having me, and I know you're probably wondering, so what are we doing? And even as we've discussed this, the

president

and I, and we've talked a little bit behind the scenes, about what we hope to accomplish. Hey, look, we're here for basketball, there's no doubt about that; the All-Star Game is what we are for. I don't know how it took us so long to get a second All-Star Game, but it did. We're here for basketball, but that's not what we're here for.

One of the things we're really going to talk about is the other race, and the other race when these gentlemen are done, and I know each one of them has a lot more basketball life in him. Those races will become more important, if they aren't already. And just digging around, and although I've known Kevin and Chris for a long time, it was interesting to look in detail at the work that they do as we hope to help improve people's lives. And we're here in Chicago, as I mentioned. I

love

my hometown, I know what it is and what it isn't.

And it's probably a very appropriate place to have this discussion about how we invest our time, our emotions, and our finances in the efforts, because the majority of the people involved here this weekend are from some urban area, probably 80%. And what are we doing in those areas? And the president knew when he spoke with these three gentlemen about participating about their type of investment, their level of investment and commitment. And so, actually, we'll start there. If we can, we'll start right away and I'll start with Chris. It was an interesting read, refreshing me on your basics that I knew but, I mean, you work a lot.

You three have multiple communities. You have the communities you come from. You have the communities of your profession, of your experience in professional basketball. And we come to Giannis, he has several countries in which he has already invested. But, Chris, tell us a little bit about what you were doing, why you were doing it, and you have foundations that partner with a lot of other important causes, starting and rooted in North Carolina, but give us an update on what you're doing and why. . - Oh man, first of all, I want to say thank you very much for inviting me.

It's an honor and a privilege to be here with these guys. And for me, I've gone through a lot of different stages in my career. We were in the back talking about Giannis, who just had his first child, so congratulations. - Yeah! (audience applauds) - I have all these different stages. I can remember the NBA before I had children, before I got married, although I

love

my wife, I remember all these different stages... - They were bad memories. (audience laughs) - All these different stages of my career. And when I first entered the NBA, one of my biggest passions, we were remodeling basketball courts.

We used to renovate basketball courts in different cities, and then once I had kids, one of the things that really became my passion was my son, who is not little, but little Chris was five years old, and my wife and I was touring a school, and we were walking through the school, and we were looking at all these SMART boards, and we were looking at all these iPads, and all these pretty things in the school. And my wife asked me what was wrong with me, and I got angry, I got angry, because I started to think that yes, my son will have this opportunity, but children grow up on the other side. of the city, they won't, they won't.

And so when you're a child, you don't really have a say in how you're going to be educated, so our foundation from that day forward, we started trying to level the playing field, so we started going into the marginalized communities and I started renovating boys and girls clubs, or setting up learning centers and labs, and trying to make sure they had all the advanced technology that kids on this side of town have. - Let's... (audience applauds) Let's skip ahead a little bit, because each person has something that is clearly identifiable. I probably heard Kevin talk about this, and I don't even know if I felt that comfortable asking about it in settings, but he's become so amazing at talking about something that men, particularly athletic men, my forte, accomplished.

Me, don't talk about: mental health. And Kevin has, and it's been a couple of years of inspired and inspiring

conversation

s. Kevin, before we get into what you're doing, how did you have the courage? You know how difficult it is to talk about this. This is not something boys do. Which brought you to the point where you could talk about investing in being healthy, both mentally and physically. - Well, it wasn't always easy for me. I mean, I've suffered from very acute anxiety and also depression my whole life. It's something I've never felt comfortable talking about or exposing in any capacity.

I mean, some of my best friends, even family, didn't know. The crazy thing is that two years ago, to this day, I was in Los Angeles, I was behind the curtain. You guys talked to the media today at practice, Jackie MacMullan takes me behind the curtain, a highly acclaimed writer for ESPN, and starts asking me all these questions about where you see mental health in the NBA and what the picture is with the players as well. young men. So it was actually two days, I mean, two years from the day I decided I was going to write my article in the Players' Tribune and just express that not only was I myself having a panic attack on the court at a time that It was life. -For me, change, also dealing with depression, but knowing that everyone within arm's reach, someone you know is dealing with something they can't see.

It's not like a sprained ankle, it's not that I hate pointing them out when talking about injuries. (Audience laughing) - Don't look here. - Yes Yes. - Nothing of that. -Actually, Chris a week ago, we just met, a rookie elbowed him in the game, he was talking all kinds of shit, excuse me. - Good. -He showed me his lip, so it was a real thing, so Kevin Porter Jr., I'll have to have some wars with him, but. (Audience laughs) Fast forward, I had my panic attack on November 5th against the Atlanta Hawks in 2017. And fast forward, I felt it was time to stop living in the shadows and live in a place where I was .

I was really afraid to be myself and play all my cards, so I wrote the article in the Players' Tribune. And then the protest and the outpouring of support and the community as a whole, experiencing it firsthand from my childhood until now. And seeing the sheer number of people that came to support, I think it was in the first three days that we got 6,000 emails and 10,000 emails in the first week, and that continued even to this day. We started about 18 months ago, the Kevin Love Fund, the goal of which was to inspire people to live healthier lives while providing them with tools for both physical well-being, because if you kill the body, the mind will die, and well-being. emotional, while now it is really four separate pillars, it is erasing a stigma.

I mean, people have to be willing to talk, it's about men and women combined, boys and girls, it's education, knowing that we want to get to, I mean, the top of the top, from kindergarten to 12. Ya We have started it at the university level. So we have educational research. We will make sure that we have the tools and the research, which also go hand in hand, working with UCLA, we are working with Stanford, also working with Harvard, the Cleveland Clinic. And I've been very fortunate to be able to play in places like Los Angeles, like Minnesota, where we have the best in healthcare available to us.

So that's something that, in the future, will be great for us. There was an endowment of professorships at UCLA, which is the first in history, for their psychology department, where we simply enable and inspire people to help the masses, and the ideas within the next five years to help a thousand millions of people. , and continue to pay it forward big time, because I will continue to say, this doesn't discriminate, it doesn't matter if you're from North Carolina, it doesn't matter where you're from. , in Greece, the south side of Chicago, the suburbs of Portland, Oregon, I mean, it just doesn't discriminate and transcends any socioeconomic status, race, gender, profile, no matter what it is, this is super important. mental health.

And just looking at the numbers, I felt like... We're sitting here with the MVP, we're sitting with a guy, I actually went on Basketball-Reference and looked up everything you've done in your career. -- (audience laughing) And it was-- - What did they find? (Audience laughs) - I'm sitting here with two future Hall of Famers. But just you guys, I'll get to that in a second, the reach of your guys and their ability to impact people is incredible. I mean, I felt like talking about mental health and seeing the numbers and seeing the reach that it could have, it was very important for me to talk about this and continue to contribute, so I think we need to have these difficult

conversation

s, I think it's very important do it and, as I will talk about a little later, it is actually a problem for young people.

So I know we'll get to that later, but I want to give Chris some praise for being a 10-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA, six-time steals champion, eight-time six-time champion, rookie. of the year. - Do we need to make an exchange? You need to travel with me. - I thought, I should have introduced you, I'm sorry, Mike. - That's ok. By the way, it's... (audience applauds) I know Kevin can count his three Hall of Famers, future Hall of Famers here. - I'm sure you will be too. You also know about yesterday's award for this boy. (audience applauding) - Thank you.

Giannis, you're in a different position than the two gentlemen to your right, and you've already done a lot, and I know it's gone under the radar, and it's time to get under the radar, I hope, because what you've done in Milwaukee, which It's almost a different city. I mean, I grew up 90 miles away. I went to Milwaukee for the first time in five years, last year for the playoffs, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. But also in Greece and I know that future considerations in Africa represent a great commitment for a young man. Tell us what motivates you, especially when dealing with the immigrant community. - First of all, thank you all for inviting me.

Being on this stage with Chris Paul, Kevin Love and former President Barack Obama is a tremendous honor, I never thought I would be here in a million years. You just asked me what motivates me is my family. Growing up, I think my mom and dad did a great job just raising us and making us have great principles and how to love each other and how to be generous, how to be kind, all of that. First of all, I'm just here to listen to you and learn from you, and know how to do this because obviously you guys are a lot older than me. - Wait, wait, wait, wait. (Audience laughs) - I'll tell you what, you should apologize to everyone in the back, because when your family got up, no one saw them near the front. - Nobody saw it. - I was like, man. - I did not mean that. - That was funny, that was funny. - In African culture, it is an honor to be called elder;

It is not considered an insult. - So what I can learn from these two guys is that you have to use your platform. I think we're in a position that a lot of people aren't in, and we just have to use our platform as best we can, and one of the things we did last summer, not just me, my family, was get involved, a big part This is why we partnered with Foundation Analysis, and we built courts and not only did we build courts, but we had the academy where the big kids could go and get educated and at the same time play sports, because when we were little, we had people who helped us.

It helped, we had people who guided us. My parents and my dad worked all the time to provide us with food and it was difficult for them. It was extremely difficult for them, so we had people in the neighborhood, and imagine, we were living in a white neighborhood. We were immigrants, our parents were illegal, basically, so we had to have our circle very close and veryclose, and we trusted people who we knew wouldn't go behind our backs and rat us out, or want something bad to happen to us, so we trust people to be able to help us, guide us, and put us in a position that we are in today.

I am the MVP. My brothers also play basketball. I'm in a position where we can give back. So as much as I can now, I don't really have a mission, but all I know is that people gave to me, I have to give back, within Milwaukee, in the community, I try to help as much as possible, I try to be involved as much as possible. may be possible. I think one thing is that there is a lot of poverty in Milwaukee, so I try to get involved in the community and the different programs that I can basically help as much as I can, and I'm a guy that tries to be as private as possible, and with my family and with myself, I don't like to talk about that much.

Like I said, I just try to help as much as possible. - Mr. President, do you want to jump here? (Audience applauding) - Well, look, part of the reason I wanted to bring these three together, besides being incredible athletes, they are good people, and each of them are at different stages in their careers. You have the old Chris Paul at the end, and then you have the young man and Kevin somewhere in the middle. But I believe each of them has demonstrated character on and off the court, and the work I'm doing post-presidency is entirely focused on how to elevate, identify, amplify and support the incredible next generation. of leaders who are emerging, because what I discovered when I was president was that most of the big problems that we face, whether it's poverty, whether it's climate change, the criminal justice system that too often doesn't work, whatever issue you care about There are usually some good solutions available.

But the problem is that these solutions are not implemented due to lack of leadership. And so often we think of leadership as simply the government, the politicians, the people who are elected, the people who are in prominent positions, but in reality, to really achieve positive change, it takes leadership everywhere, it takes leadership. At the grassroots level, leadership is needed. In the business community, everyone needs to put their hands to work, because change is usually not just a matter of passing laws, but also of changing culture and policies. So let's take the mental health example that Kevin gave.

This is something that is underdiagnosed in all communities, he says. Part of the problem is that, from a political perspective, in the past a physical ailment was not covered in the same way. So you couldn't get insurance, which meant you had to pay out of pocket, and that's a policy solution that when I was president I said, "We have to create parity in mental health," so that mental health "is considered like a broken leg, "when it comes to insurance coverage," that's a policy issue. But what Kevin has also identified is that it's also a cultural issue, because, frankly, we, as a society, tell our children "If you're good at sports and you're tough, that's all that matters, and you win, and that's how we're going to measure you.

There was a surprising article a while ago. This woman had interviewed all of these young teenagers. kids, and it turned out that a lot of them had all kinds of things going on, but they couldn't talk about it, because society said, "No, you can't have a conversation." While Michelle and my daughters, I watch them, all they do is talk (audience laughing) This is how I felt, and this happened, and I was feeling this, and then they were creating support networks, and the kids couldn't to do that. So that's a social thing. And what I mean is that leadership comes in many forms, and what I wanted to do was present these three as examples of extraordinary leadership;

They are just getting started. But there is also a group of young leaders who do not play basketball, are not famous, are not rich, but in their own communities they are working with people who are doing reintegration work, or people who are helping immigrants have their legal rights properly represented. , or the doctors who are establishing women's health clinics to treat the particular health problems that are so often neglected in certain communities; They are also leaders. And Michelle and I's goal with the Obama Foundation is to highlight the ways that people are contributing, we want those people to get to know each other, begin to expand a network of leaders across fields and disciplines, and what I've discovered is that There are incredible leaders everywhere, Michael, but now they are separated.

And we don't talk about what they are doing. And I appreciate the fact that Giannis is reserved, but I like that about him, by the way, he's just focused. You don't see it because mom did a good job, so he's not running, he's like, no, I'm at the gym, then I'm going home, which is great, but I want you to be. a little more public, Giannis, because you have something to give when it comes to giving back, and you can set an example for people, and that, I think, is the purpose of our conversation here today, and I'll talk a little more A little more at the end about what the foundation is doing more specifically, but I just want to say how proud I am of them.

There is one last point that I want to highlight and that I believe is common to all three of us, these three outstanding individuals. Each of them spoke from his own personal experience. Then Chris got angry when he told her about the resources at the schools he can now afford to send his son to, in part because he knows what some of these other schools are like. And Giannis talks about giving back, in part, because he remembers his mother working as hard as he could and still having to deal with a lot of things that come with being an immigrant.

And Kevin, from his own experience, understood what it felt like when you felt something inside of you that you needed to deal with, but he didn't feel like he was allowed to talk about it. We all have experiences like that, and the more we share our stories and communicate what motivates us to do what we do and to give back, and make common cause and listen to each other, that builds bridges at a time when the country is very divided, and I think that's also part of the goal of the foundation: to break down some of the polarization that we've been seeing, and just the anger and frustration and suspicion. and the mistrust that is seen building so much in our communities.

Telling our stories this way, and listening to people who have powerful stories to tell, is part of the way we begin to close these gaps. (audience applauds) - Just one of the things I want to ask you about next, Chris, is that you have a primary career that is demanding, but you have all found the time to pursue it. I can't use the word secondary. Because these are very important things, but your main goals are to deal with a team and basketball and lead other players in the case of each of you. And what I'm wondering, Chris, is how difficult is that, because part of using that platform is getting others to recognize what you're doing and act in their own specific ways, but how much time can you dedicate to it, how difficult?

It is. Do you feel pressure? How difficult is it? - You know it's funny, at the end of the day we wouldn't be sitting here in front of you, if we didn't do what we do. Basketball is the reason he gave us this platform. You can act like it isn't, but it is. So that's what I respect the most that Giannis was talking about is that there are guys that come into the league and you start to stray somewhere, whether it's rapping, whether it's this or that, but you have to realize that basketball is the Which is why even people want to listen to your music.

You know what I mean? This gives us the opportunity to have a voice. So you can never lose focus on that, but also on understanding that basketball is what I do but it's not who I am. You know what I mean? I think one of the most important things, like I said, it's my fifteenth year, so I've had the opportunity to pay a lot of attention, and nothing against any of the networks or the media or anything like that, but one thing that What they always do is confront each other. If everyone watches it on their TVs, it's always like, so-and-so versus so-and-so, and to be honest with you, this is the first time I've really had a chance to get Giannis to talk like that, because when we play on the court we both We have the same mentality, let's get to it.

You know what I mean? Before the game we won't cut it, after the game we won't cut it, so I was looking forward to doing this to hear, you know what I mean, some of the things that he may be going through, because a lot of times they put us against each other So much so that we forget to do what President, you're still my president, boss, you know what I'm saying, President Obama said. (Audience applauds) We forget, you know what I mean, to come together and do things together because everything is always me against him, me against him, instead of figuring out what's going on and saying, look, man, I I would love to help donate to their cause, you know what I mean, lend a note.

And it's crazy, there are some guys in the league, and I'm not sure, but they have something called H20 or the Water Boys (mumbling). Are any of your colleagues with that? - Yes, Malcolm does that. - Malcolm Brogdon in Indiana is doing a great job. - I see it on social media and then I read about it, and I saw something that said I think $15,000 builds a water well or something, like we don't talk about all that stuff. You know what I mean? I think the more, you know what I mean, I find out what Giannis' call is, what's going on, I'd love to help, you know what I mean, if they find out, but a lot of times it's a lot of, you know what.

I mean, it's me against him, how are we going to do it against him? You know what I mean, where we discover here in the world, as he just said, we can have a more powerful impact. if we do things together. I'm mad at myself, Kev, you have a bottom. I need to donate to Kev's fund, you know what I mean, because he has a passion and there are things that happen... - You're going to do it now. - We are, we are, we sure are. (Audience laughs) Well, Kev, no, no, I'm serious, I'm serious, and this is real, like when we step on the court, of course, we're going to do it, we're going to do it, but I'm like two totally different people on and off the court.

My mom knows, she is on the court, we have to do it. We have to get to it. But the more they are real conversations, because a lot of times if you go up to another guy from another team and ask him what's going on, like you said, it's a cultural thing, you look weak, you look weak. , so it may not be during the game. When you're at the free throw line, I'm not going to ask you what you do, Kev, but after the game, the more we communicate and talk like that, I think the more powerful we can be in so many different areas. . - Kevin, were you able to... (audience applauds)?

Have there been any collaborative initiatives or efforts that you've been able to connect where people should connect with you, because clearly that would drive this effort, and I don't want to say it's easier, but certainly that challenge could be overcome if it were collaborative. Is it something like that because Chris also made me think about that point? - Yeah, I think just to build on what Chris said, I think we as athletes and Giannis was saying and what Chris was also saying is that I got some great advice my rookie year, and actually Kevin McHale gave it to me, another one.

Hall of Famer, he said, "Chase the game and everything you want to love will chase you back." And in fact, LeBron and Mav had the documentary "What's My Name?", the Muhammad Ali documentary. He said: "Boxing was just the way to 'introduce myself to the crowd.' I think, Giannis, you'll definitely find out that it wasn't until I was in the league for 10 years and got really old that I was able to really look back and realize that he didn't have the presence of mind, he was I'm not ready to be vulnerable. I think we, at least as Americans, celebrate people who beat their emotions into submission.

Mr. President, I think that's what you were referring to in a way, so When I was young, I was taught by a father who was born in '49 and who lived in Vietnam; he was 20 years old at the time. and he had played in the NBA with some of the greatest players of all time. He came from a tough father. He It came from a father who did the same thing - you just don't talk about it. For me, it was just a way of being extremely vulnerable and knowing that there was a bigger picture at hand, and that was what I felt was extremely important to do, is give back in that way, but I think, as far as you guys are concerned, Speaking of initiatives, what we could do, I think it's just continue to provide tools.

Like I said, this doesn't discriminate. I am very lucky and blessed to be able to purchase medications. I feel very blessed to be able to see a therapist and do cognitive behavioral therapy, which over time has been shown to be better than medications, but not everyone has it. Not everyone has that available to them, so at my core we're really trying to dig in and rely on the science and figure out what works and what will be able towhich they are already doing. But I think what I want to emphasize is that you shouldn't feel like you have to solve the world's problems.

Just setting a good example and, for example, visiting a prison, where you had a conversation with inmates who at some point will need to be released, and they heard from you that just like they heard from me, Because I was the first president of the United States United in visiting a prison and sitting down with a group of young people and saying, "You know what, I was just like you. "I was lucky and had a turn here or there." I could have been in your seat instead of mine," and for them to hear that from you is powerful.

And for them to see that you care enough about them to talk to them directly, that changes their mind, and so your influence It will expand as your careers expand. And then we've all been remembering Kobe. The last conversation I had with him and Vanessa in Los Angeles, I asked him, "Do you miss basketball?" He said, "No." I miss it at all." "Noting touching a basketball," he said, "because now I'm just as competitive" and I'm focused on this second phase," and we were talking about how we could work together at the foundation to guide and encourage the young people of color who are at risk, and part of what you're doing is laying the groundwork for your second act and the incredible leadership and work that I think you'll be able to show in the future.

Know that you are already way ahead of the game. You're ahead of most 25-year-olds in terms of how they think about it, I promise. (audience members laughing) (audience applauding) - Giannis, it was very comforting to hear you say, I don't have all the answers, because whether it's 25 or 45 or 65, no one has all the answers, but that openness seems like a great place to start and a very realistic place to start. Mr. President, I wanted to ask you how the work of your foundation has changed, has the objective changed, has it moved, has its mission changed at all in, say, the last six to eight years? - Well, look, I love basketball but I wasn't that talented. (Audience laughs) I had to make a decision early on, what is my job?

What is the craft that I am going to perfect? And I moved to Chicago because what I decided was that I cared deeply about creating a more just society and providing opportunities for all children. I was effectively raised by a single mother. During my adolescence I had a lot of confusion and lack of guidance. I was fortunate to have a group of people who helped guide me through that process, and I was inspired by the civil rights movement and the vision of young people mobilizing to make change, just with moral strength, just with being willing to cross a bridge, even though they knew they would be defeated, simply because of their willingness to speak truth to power about social justice and civil rights, so that's what inspired me.

And it turned out I was pretty good at it, so I kept going and we made progress and made changes. But what I realized when I left is that, as I left the presidency, I was meeting young people who were like me when I was 20 or 25, who didn't have all the answers, didn't have many contacts or connections. , but he had so much energy, so much talent, and by the way, I met them all over the world, because we started doing these Young Leaders Programs, where every country that I visited, if I went to Greece, or I went to South Africa, or I went to Turkey , or I went wherever I went, we would have these meetings of young leaders who were doing great work, and you would hear from some young doctor who had started a healthcare business. clinic or you would talk to some young man in a country where it is difficult to speak, because there is no democracy there, but he is speaking in the name of democracy, in some cases, worried about being imprisoned, and you would meet some activist who deals with environmental issues in countries where commercial interests are really powerful.

And I thought, man, if we could just put them in charge, even though they don't have all the answers, I promise you, their answers are so much better than the people who are currently in charge. And it got me thinking that my job is to use the platform, the influence, whatever authority I have and whatever connections I have, to essentially accelerate their rise, empower them and connect them, because I want to go back to something that Chris said. Yes, all NBA players should focus on their jobs, and that is being excellent at their game, but the collective power of athletes in this society...

I never try to talk about other people's money, but rather the contract that everyone got. . (audience laughing) The-- (audience laughing) (audience applauding) I think it's fair, it's coming, people. But... (audience laughs) Look, I'm not trying to provoke anything, but what I mean is that when you look at what that represents collectively, it's extraordinarily powerful. Then you think about the resources, the attention, the right amount of cultural space that is taken up, that is an incredible amount of power. And the question is, and this essentially gets to the point of what the foundation is trying to do, what's true for famous athletes is also true because there are thousands of climate change activists around the world who, each one of them , you are doing a great job.

If we can connect them together, that is power. There are people all over the country who work in criminal justice, they are found in every city. There is someone who is working on a reentry program, or working on a diversion program, or making sure that someone who has a criminal record, but who has turned their life around, can try to get a job, and the question is how to connect them. so that they have more power, they are not so isolated. And so the work, to answer your question, all of this made Michelle and I conclude, our job is simply to find that talent and empower, and if we can harness the energy of this next generation of people, some of whom are working at full capacity. time on nonprofit issues and their causes.

Some of whom have jobs, like these three, but are making contributions like Kevin, in terms of publicity and facilitation. If we start doing it in a more systematic way, not in a catch-what-you-can way; See you at the All-Star Game, oh Kevin, I heard you're doing this, okay, I'll write you a check, which is nice. Rather, you start to have clearinghouses, here are all the things that everyone is doing. Are we doing similar things? If Giannis just comes in and says, "Now I'm ready to start doing something serious" in Milwaukee about criminal justice reform, or in any case, I want to do something in Greece or in Nigeria to help young people here, what?

Wouldn't it be great if I could immediately talk to someone who has already done it, or I could find out from Kevin, oh, here's the mental health expert, am I starting to see? mental health issues. So the idea of The foundation is that we now build a presidential center here in Chicago that serves this specific community. Basically, we are bringing what will end up being a several hundred million dollar project, a major institution on the south side of Chicago, usually these things are somewhere in the center. Our attitude is that this becomes an anchor for empowerment, development and job opportunities, but the center will primarily be a training ground for all these young leaders in Chicago, but then it becomes at the center around which we connect with activists and institutions around the world, identifying these young leaders and empowering them, giving them a platform and making connections so that they can learn from each other and work together, because I can tell you right now that there are 200 young leaders in Africa, we had a summit in South Africa, from 50 countries, probably 10 of them were from Nigeria, some of them are young members of parliament, some of them are health experts. , some of them are businessmen, some are journalists, human rights lawyers, whatever you want to do, Giannis in Nigeria, there are 10 prominent leaders, a little older than you, who have already started.

So you may not have to reinvent the wheel, you may just need to connect with them. They would love to have you even if you just made a PSA for them, a PSA for them, that suddenly makes them explode. It doesn't take much time, but it's a great contribution you're making to them. Chris, if you work on education issues, there are incredible activists, including my former Secretary of Education. I'm going to congratulate you, Arne Duncan, who was in the celebrity game, who is always in the game. (Audience laughs) Arne is working here in the city with young people who have been involved in violent crimes, but are now turning their lives around, and he pays them initially to be trained, and then he puts them in jobs and creates a set. comprehensive program to ensure your success.

So if Chris decides, man, I saw something in Carolina, my old community, I really want to do something with these young people who have gotten out of prison, well, he doesn't have to suddenly start over. He can call a party right away, you have a blueprint for how you could make that work. So the goal of the foundation is to be that hub, that clearinghouse around which we can all support each other. It means that everyone's momentum is a little less. Everyone has a way to contribute to that. And our legacy, hopefully, Michelle, I've said it, and maybe this sounds a little selfish, but it's in response to a lot of people saying, man, we need you back, and when is Michelle going to show up, and this and that and the other.

And what we've said is, you know what? Our goal is for there to be a million Baracks and Michelles, of all races, creeds and origins, in each country there are tens of millions of them. They just weren't as lucky as us. And the question is, if we identify them, give them a platform, a voice and empower them, that is what will save the world. Let's not look back to see who was there, let's look forward to who is coming, and our goal and work as a foundation is to make sure that we are doing everything we can to create the ecosystem where they can thrive and succeed. (audience applauds) - As someone who was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, I'm so glad that we can look forward and see the original Michelle and Barack, and what's being built on the South Side, which, again, born and bred, and even though I read about it, follow every word I can every day, it's almost unbelievable. - Look.

This will not just be a traditional museum, a mausoleum, although it is estimated that we will receive 700,000 million visitors a year, because everyone wants to see Michelle's dresses and maybe some of my comments. But it will be state-of-the-art, so it will become a world-class exhibition space that traces the history of social change during my presidency and highlights all the issues that people care deeply about, but most importantly, galvanizes them into activism. . But it's also transformative because you grew up here and you understand that the North Side of Chicago doesn't look like the South Side of Chicago.

Chicago has never looked more beautiful and I love this city, but last night six teenagers were shot about a half mile from where we are building this institution, and historically a message has been sent, look, this is well documented, there used to be parks on the side South, they were famous for being underfunded, their country houses, if you wanted to go play basketball and you were on the South Side, you didn't have the same facilities or resources, and I'm not talking about that long ago. in the 1920s, and talking about when Michael was growing up, and the idea of ​​bringing a world-class institution that's attracting international attention wherever it can, we're going to have a sports center, by the way, Nike is already helping out in the building an excellent world-class sports facility that is available to all young people in this area, but also a theater space so that we can use the arts for young people to learn to show leadership and express themselves. .

We'll have a recording studio, so if I call my friend Lamar or Jay-Z, or someone, and say, hey, I do a workshop with these guys, in terms of how they channel and tell their stories, they don't have to go. downtown to do that, there's a facility right in your neighborhood where you can start doing that. And our ability to convene an international conference or a national conference on the South Side of Chicago, not just downtown, on import issues, which in turn gives businesses in those areas the opportunity to thrive, homegrown. and of the young. hired from those communities.

What this does is that it becomes both a model and an engine of change that can then be duplicated, as other cities look at how to close those gaps and provide opportunities for people everywhere. Plus, it will look great. (moderator laughing) - It is a very exciting moment that none of us could anticipate before 2008, it was unpredictable, even for people who were optimistic, I would dare say visionary, where it would come from, where the source was going. be? And now we know the answer to that, so I can't thank you enough because those of us werehere before. (Audience applauds) - One thing, maybe this isn't true for these guys, I'd be interested to hear from them how they feel about it, but the odds of me being here as a former President of the United States are incalculable. little. (Audience laughs) I mean, if you think about a mixed-race child being born in Hawaii to a Kenyan father who left him and his mother when they were two years old and his name is Barack Hussein Obama, I mean, there's no chance. , but for all of us Many of us have this feeling at some point, I think part of why when Giannis I really related to Giannis I talked like it sometimes seemed like a dream to you.

There's a sense of, wow, I still don't know how I got here, and all this has happened considering where I come from, and it would be interesting to reflect and listen to these guys. Part of what we have to do is remind ourselves that we have simply been lucky; It doesn't mean we haven't worked hard, it doesn't mean we haven't done what we're supposed to do, but there's just an element of randomness here in what happened to us, and that should bring humility. Which I see in all these guys, not on the court but at least off it, and that's part of what makes you want to give back, because when I see kids in the corner, I say, "Well," I'm not better. that they, "could be as talented as me," but simply had a different set of circumstances "that led them down this path instead of that." And I don't know if that's something that resonates with you, but I hope that's part of what inspires you to, in whatever way you choose to do, give something back. - In my case, I have usually used the quote that I am supposed to be here many times, and a lot of people get angry telling me that. - Me neither. - Exactly, so a lot of people get angry, like what do you mean you're not supposed to be here, like you have talent, you did this, you did that?

I say, okay, listen, listen, listen. I grew up in a white country, I grew up in Greece, my parents were illegal, they were fighting and I came from Greece to the United States, I went to Milwaukee for the first time, I had never heard of Milwaukee before. (Audience laughs) - Were you informed about the weather before coming? - They lied to me, they told me it was hot, then. (moderator laughing) - Three months, Giannis, three months, that's all we get out of him. - I truly believe that everything happens for a reason in life. God put you where he wants to put you;

He never makes mistakes, but at the end of the day, I'm just trying to take advantage of a lot of opportunities now. So I think that's what drives me every day, and that's what keeps me humble too, because there are a lot of guys, a lot of people that come to a stage where they know they're supposed to be there, that's what I always dreamed of, and many people helped them be there, but many people helped me too, but what keeps me humble, what keeps me driven every day is that I come from there, I am here right now;

There are many children who were in the same situation as me. And I went to a game, I went to the Thanasis game a few weeks ago, so I saw a kid mopping the floor, after every break. And after the game, he was talking to my brother and I said, "That was me." And then the kid came out, and I went and talked to the kid, and I said, yeah, I used to mop the floor. He looked at me, no way. No, I used to. I'm here now, so if I did it, you can do it, and I really believe in that, you just have to help people and put them in the right direction, because people helped me, my parents helped me, my brothers helped me . , heading in this direction, which hopefully put me in this position, and some other kids are going in another direction.

They are no less talented; They just weren't as lucky as I was; and they didn't have the support that I had from the people, from the community and all that. (Audience applauds) - I know we have to finish. I think Chris and Kevin, Kevin, Chris, can you give us some final comments, just thoughts about what we're hearing and the things that are on your mind as we leave? - No, I think, I mean, Chris nailed it when we started, it's really an honor to be here. Mike, obviously, congratulations on yesterday. You've always given us players... (audience applauds) In a world where, I mean, it also transcends the basketball court, but where the comments are, now the content, and there's a 24-hour news cycle, and you have than creating new stories and coming up with things out of thin air that aren't true, you've always given us all a very fair deal, and you've been great, that's why the Hoophall, I think, gave you the thumbs up, so I'm aware about what.

Giannis, I hate that you have to protect me. (Audience laughs) You just had a baby, congratulations. Now I'll have a kid about 10 years after the fact, so he'll be on the decline when he gets to the league. No, but... (audience laughs) I mean, listen, I'm six years older than you, maybe six and a half, I think you're an inspiration to the entire league. The game has become so global now where you see Giannis is the MVP of Greece, you have Luka is from Slovenia and he is the Rookie of the Year, you have Pascal Siakam, he is from Cameroon, he is the most improved player, that says a lot about where we are as a game.

Mr. President, you talked about that, just with the capacity and the reach that we have we can expand our youth programs, and our reach is so vast and enormous that if we do a public service announcement, it will not only reach tens of millions of children , this game tomorrow, why are we here, will be broadcast in how many countries, maybe we can, I mean, many, so hundreds of millions of people I will put you on the spot there. I'm sorry. I don't... - It's okay, Kevin. - You're good, you're not so good. (Audience laughs) A lot of people will be inspired by you, so I feel like I found my life's work and I will continue to pay it forward, but that wasn't the case until I was 28 or 29. and you're 25.

I didn't know shit at 25, excuse me. We won an Olympic gold medal, we won. - Yes, 2012. Yes, yes, yes. I did it too in 2008. - But Chris, Chris, two, yes, you did it. I mean, there's still Tokyo. No, but Chris, I think we all have, each and every one of us up here, we have different leadership qualities, but Chris is one of the best floor generals. And it's funny, this actually goes back to why I was - we all have our argument, you have your barbershop argument, you have your locker room argument, you're on the plane playing cards, so I'm defending CP because he He is one of the best floor generals of all time.

As far as being a leader, he's on and off the court, you could say he's one of the best the sport has ever seen, so I take my hat off to you, and I like it, especially now that I'm feeling more comfortable. with myself. I have ever been giving to people, telling them that I admire them. So I admire them both quite a bit, although they are my teammates on the court, we play against each other, we have played together, we won a gold medal together, but no, just an inspiration. You talk about 44 here. In fact, I was the last basketball player to give him the jersey in 2016. (Audience applauds) I was also so nervous about giving the speech that I thought I flubbed every damn word, but I was... - It was good. - Yes, you know, the photo session was.

But no, I think I know that when people look at you they see hope, and I think when it comes to what I'm talking about mental health, specifically anxiety, anxiety disorders and depression, it's really a crisis. of hope, and it is the feeling of a truly meaningless future. And I think you, speaking of inspiration, everyone in the world looks at you as a true inspiration, and you mentioned where you come from, and your background, your story, and I think nothing unites us like the common enemy. , and I firmly believe that we all want to be on the winning side of history and you have played an important role in that and in all of our lives.

So, no, I thank you because I was on my way to St. Barth's and Mr. President's team called and said, "Hey, are you guys coming and doing this?" I said, "Yeah, cancel all my plans. I'm going to do 'go ahead and get to Chicago.' So I appreciate it, I really appreciate it. Having all of us, but specifically myself, because selfishly this whole process has It's been very therapeutic for me, but like I said, keep talking about it and giving back. It's things like this and having this platform and because of this game and because of you, this is going to make a big difference today, so thank you. (audience clapping) - I'll make it quick. 15 years later, you just don't get used to things, you know what I mean, this is not supposed to be our normal, Giannis, you know what I mean. , like I have a challenge vertical, I'm six foot six one on a good day. - Really? - Calm down, calm down, listen, listen, let me tell you this real quick before you tell me... - - Don't talk to me about vertical challenges... - Let me say this in front of all of you, because you want to say it so badly that I can see it.

For his birthday, we had a pick-up game, and he crossed, and I kind of let him cross me. No, no, no, no, no, listen, and you'll never hear the end of it. You were there too, I know, Mike, whatever, but it happened, okay, but just this and this opportunity to be here with you, I mean, it's an honor and a privilege. I never thought that in 2008 you were going to hold a rally in Indiana, I don't even know if you remember. My whole team went, in 2008, he was at a rally, and we went, he actually shot us a little bit while we were there talking about how much they pay us. (laughing) But we were all there and who would have thought in 2020 that we had the relationship we have.

Still, it's something you never get used to, because I know he's the president, but he's the most down-to-earth, talkative person you'll ever meet in your life, you know what I mean, but that's real. . Mike, who I've known since he was in college, has been amazing. Giannis, I'm a fan, not during the game, but I'm an NBA fan, and I'm a fan, I watch all the time. K. Love, man, we connect through so many different people. We had the opportunity to win a gold medal again, but they are experiences. When you talk about life, you know what I mean, you probably won't remember the last watch or whatever you bought, but you will remember the experiences you had.

And we talked about paying it off, man, you remind me how many years I've been here, but the best thing is when you talk about looking at someone and seeing yourself, my dad spent his entire 401(k) on me. and my brother played travel basketball, so one of the first things we did with my family when I got to the NBA was we started an AU program, a youth program: my mom booked all the flights, hotels and everything; my brother supervises all the coaches; my dad does it. I have 12 kids that play in the NBA that started in my AU program. (Audience applauds) You know what I mean, so my achievements don't mean anything.

So when I was at the rookie game last night and I had a chance to see Josh Okogie, when I had a chance to see Collin Sexton, Wendell Carter and all these guys that then came up through our AU program, Harry Giles, Como I was like 12 years old playing on our AU team, and now Harry has a battle to solve, that's not my problem, that's not my problem. But, once again, thank you very much for inviting me. (audience applauding) - Thank you. - I know there's a session or two on Saturday night, three-point shooting and dunk contest that we're all looking forward to.

So the All-Star Game was here in '88, so this is my 32nd All-Star Game, you talk about age, Chris, please. - Had three years. (moderator laughing) - Thanks, you reminded me. Thank you, I hope everyone takes into account the president's initial comments about listening to the stories and what people are doing and that they are uplifting and hopefully these stories will continue from here. I know there is some social media, the way we now more effectively spread these stories, experiences and anecdotes. And I'm sure people will find out, they'll find out later tonight what Giannis said, or what Chris said, or what Kevin said, or what you, Mr.

President, said, and I want to let you to you the last word. . Thank you for asking me to do this. I'm excited to be here. And I hope there's something else like this in the future that we can participate in again. - Well, I want to thank these outstanding gentlemen who are on stage, I want to thank those who attended, those who are interested in learning more about how you can participate, you can go to the Obama Foundation website, correct? (Audience laughs) I hope so. (Audience laughs) And I just want to remember that everyone has a contribution to make, everyone has a gift that they can give, and it may be small, it may be big, it may change over time, but if we all make the effort, then there is reasons for hope and not hopelessness, and just listening to these gentlemen, I assume it gives them hope as it does me.

Alright. Thank you all, God bless you. (audience applauding) (audience members chatting)