U.S. President Obama receives 12 stitches after basketball injury

2010-11-27 12:05:16 GMT+7 (ICT)

WASHINGTON D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday received 12 stitches in his lip after sustaining a basketball accidental injury, the White House said.

"After being inadvertently hit with an opposing player's elbow in the lip while playing basketball with friends and family, the President received 12 stitches today administered by the White House Medical Unit," Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced.

After the injury, the U.S. president was treated at the doctor's office located on the ground floor of the White House. Obama was given local anesthetic before receiving the stitches.

The medical unit used a smaller filament than the one typically used to treat the president’s lip injury. Such filament increases the number of stitches but makes a tighter stitch and results in a smaller scar.

President Obama was playing a 5-on-5 game at local military base Fort McNair. He was playing with his assistant Reggie Love, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, his nephew Avery Robinson and other players.

According to Gibbs, one player, Rey Decerega of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, turned into Obama, who was playing defense, to take a shot when the elbow hit the U.S. leader in the mouth. The injury took place during the fifth of five games they played.

Obama is an avid basketball player and still plays regularly.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-11-27

Was it declared a foul?

The medical unit used a smaller filament than the one typically used to treat the president’s lip injury. Such filament increases the number of stitches but makes a tighter stitch and results in a smaller scar.

Must be nice to have a job with a decent health plan.

Any news on how many SS bullets were dug out of Mr Decerega ?