President Obama fantasizes about owning an NBA team

President Barack Obama sat down with Bill Simmons to do a Q&A for GQ magazine.

The interview covered a wide range of topics, from politics, to family, his smoking habits, favorite television shows, and of course, sports.

At one point, Simmons asked Obama, a well-known basketball junkie, if he ever wants to own an NBA team. The president was emphatic.

BS: Would you ever want to be part of the ownership for an NBA team?

BO: Absolutely.

BS: Would it have to be the Bulls, or would it have to be somebody else?

BO: Well, you know, I know [Jerry] Reinsdorf pretty good-he's not giving that thing up anytime soon. But I have fantasized about being able to put together a team and how much fun that would be. I think it'd be terrific.

During the interview, Obama also compared himself to Aaron Rodgers when asked about whether or not his job is overwhelming. Simmons compared Obama's ability to remain focused to that of San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. The president preferred a comparison to Rodgers for his ability to remain focused.

"Or maybe [Aaron] Rodgers in the pocket," said Obama. "In the sense of you can't be distracted by what's around you, you've got to be looking downfield."

It was also interesting to note that Obama has kept up with the ins and outs of the sports media world, commenting on both Simmons' departure from Grantland and his feud with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

According to Simmons, withing seconds of greeting each other, Obama was "teasing" him about Grantland.

"It's really aggravating not having you on Grantland," he said, almost like I betrayed him. "I go to the site and there's no Simmons. Come on, man, it's not the same."

Later, Obama commented on Goodell ("I cannot believe that the commissioner of football gets paid $44 million a year") when Simmons tried to lure the president into a conversation about Goodell's job security and standing with the owners (Simmons famously called Goodell a liar on his podcast, a move that led to a suspension from ESPN and eventually his divorce from the network).

BS: So you think the owners like having him there?

BO: You're not going to drag me into your fights, man. Come on-I've got enough fights of my own. [laughs] This is between you and Roger.

This was the second time Simmons has interviewed Obama, with the president previously appearing on Simmons' previous podcast with ESPN, a move that angered a lot of sportswriters.