Barack Obama has offered a lighthearted update on how he is feeling physically, admitting that he is taking a more cautious approach to basketball as he gets older.
The former president made the comments during a rare joint interview with Michelle Obama, reflecting on marriage, exercise, and life in the years since leaving the White House. The conversation came as the couple returned to Chicago for the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, which was formally dedicated on June 18, 2026, and opened to the public on June 19.
Although both still prioritize staying active, Obama explained that concerns about avoiding injury have changed how he approaches one of his favorite sports.
At 64, he said he does not plan to play full basketball games at the new Home Court inside the Obama Presidential Center.
“I am not running up and down that court because I want to protect my knees and my Achilles. I don’t want to be in a boot,” he told PEOPLE.
Obama said straight-line movement is not much of a problem, but quick lateral motion is another story.
“I’m in good shape if I’m just running north-south. You start getting me sideways and I start worrying about something kind of going [wrong].”
Even so, he made clear he is not stepping away from the court altogether.
“Now I will take folks on for a game of Horse. We can have some shooting contests.”
He also reflected more broadly on how he feels at this stage of life.
“I feel good, I mean look, I don’t look as good as her,” he said, indicating his wife sitting next to him.
Michelle quickly pushed back on that suggestion.
Michelle insisted otherwise though, telling him ‘of course you do’, insisting that ‘it’s because you don’t dye your hair’, which the former president said was ‘too much trouble’.
The conversation also turned to tennis, a sport Michelle has taken up more seriously, with Obama praising how much her game has improved, even if he is not joining her as often now.
“He’s got to stretch out those calves or he’s going to pop something,” said the former first lady.
“Don’t want to do that,” Obama said, “I don’t want to pop nothing.”
The remarks also fit into a bigger moment for the Obamas, who have spent much of June in Chicago celebrating the long-awaited opening of the Obama Presidential Center on the city’s South Side. The campus includes a museum, athletic and community spaces, and programs tied to the digitization of Obama’s presidential library.
Speaking at the launch, Obama described the vision behind the center.
“We wanted it to be a vibrant, living celebration of community, where we can learn together and share the joys of art and music and sport and play, because it’s in those moments that we’re reminded of our common humanity and strengthen the bonds of trust that not only make our lives richer, but make our democracy stronger.”