Kobe Bryant: President Obama could make current Lakers roster

Kobe Bryant said President Obama's skill on the court reminds him a bit of Michael Adam or Nate "Tiny" Archibald. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has had a lot of time during his rehab to reflect on the team's current roster, and on Wednesday he spent a few moments on the Dan Patrick Show contemplating whether President Obama could make the current Lakers squad.

Asked by Patrick whether Obama would make the current roster in Los Angeles, Bryant said almost immediately, "yes, he could, actually." The comment wasn't a slight against his current Lakers team, which despite promising young talent is comprised mostly of borderline NBA players; Bryant said his belief in Obama is more a testament to the President's skill:

"That's not a diss to the current roster that we have, its more of a sign of respect of the skill that the president possesses."

Patrick then asked the five-time champ to compare Obama to present or past NBA players. Bryant said at first that Obama's NBA doppelgänger in terms of skill is probably former guard Michael Adams, who played in the league for 11 years. On second thought, however, Bryant said Obama may be more like Hall of Fame guard Nate "Tiny" Archibald.

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Among other sound bytes from his interview on Wednesday, Bryant said he wasn't surprised at all by Phil Jackson's decision to return to the NBA as president of basketball operations for the New York Knicks:

"I wasn’t surprised by it. I knew that was going to happen. He and I had breakfast together [a week and half ago]. … There’s only but so much meditation a person can do all day.”

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