Former president Barack Obama fancies himself a phenomenal athlete, but the facts continue to suggest otherwise.
George Clooney, the Hollywood actor who starred in Batman & Robin, recently spilled the tea on Obama's athletic prowess in an interview with People magazine, recounting a time when his wife, Amal Clooney, humiliated the former president on the basketball court:
"I'll tell you this—we had a free throw-shooting contest at our house in England with the former president of the United States, Barack Obama, and she beat us all," Clooney tells PEOPLE in this week's cover story where he is named one of the magazine's People of the Year.
Mrs. Clooney, an attorney best known for representing Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, reportedly "made 17 free throws straight—and 18 out of 20," while George went just 12-20 from the charity stripe.
George did not reveal how many free throws Obama made, presumably to avoid upsetting the former president and his notoriously fragile ego. Evidence suggests Obama likely struggled to make even half of the shots he attempted.
In one video clip from 2013, for example, Obama made less than 10 percent of his attempts (2-22) in an effort to impress some children on the White House basketball court. The children were not impressed.
It's embarrassing to watch. It also serves as a reminder to be skeptical of what you see on social media. Obama, for example, recently tweeted a selectively edited video of himself making a three-point shot before walking off the court in triumph.
Shoot your shot. https://t.co/XdZz4dh82T pic.twitter.com/elpBmzu6hV
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 31, 2020
Whereas "mainstream" media outlets accepted the misleading tweet as fact, and amplified the disinformation to their millions of followers, the Washington Free Beacon did its due diligence by providing the crucial context necessary to give viewers a more comprehensive understanding of the facts.
Obama's video clip is selectively edited to make it seem as though he's a talented basketball player. Crucial context is missing that could give the viewer a more thorough understanding of the facts at hand.
Via @AndrewStilesUSA https://t.co/lg8FbOyW02— Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) November 2, 2020