Barack Obama on Jeremy Lin: “I Knew About Jeremy before Everybody Else Did”

Ever since Jeremy Lin burst onto the scene, people have been asking the same question-how did nobody realize this guy was so good?

One person who knew Lin had talent was the President of the United States.

That's right. Barack Obama claims he was aware of Jeremy Lin before most of the country.

In an interview with ESPN's Bill Simmons, Obama said that he heard about Lin before he became famous with the Knicks.

I knew about Jeremy before you did, or everybody else did, exclaimed Obama. I was there early.

Obama says it was his Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, who first turned him on to the point guard.

Duncan, like Lin and Obama, went to Harvard, and was the co-captain of the basketball team during his time there. Duncan even played professional basketball overseas in the late 80s and early 90s.

Obama says Duncan told him that Lin was a special player when he was still in college. The President knew multiple people who had a chance to see Lin play at Harvard, and they convinced Obama that he was the real deal.

One of my best friends, his son is a freshman at Harvard, and so when he went for a recruiting trip he saw Lin in action. So I've been on the Jeremy Lin bandwagon for a while.

With all the good reports he heard, Obama, like most fans, is perplexed at why it took so long for Lin to get his big break.

What's interesting is the fact that somehow folks were missing it in practice. I mean, that's what's interesting. Because you got to assume that during scrimmages he was running that pick-and-roll pretty well. And it is a terrific story. He seems like a wonderful young man.

Obama is notorious for being a big basketball fan. He roots for the Bulls and said he expects them to win a championship while he's still in office.

The President is surrounded by people with ties to basketball.

Not only is his Secretary of Education a former Division I player, his brother-in-law is a current college coach. Craig Robinson, head coach of the Oregon State men's basketball team, is Michelle Obama's older brother.

Obama gets most of his sports news from watching SportsCenter, but occasionally is able to watch a game.

I tend to be a night guy. Michelle and the girls will go to bed around 9:30 p.m. or so. And so I usually have to stay up until midnight or 1 a.m. reading stuff. And every once in a while I'll sneak in a ball game as I'm reading my briefings.

The President even has NBA League Pass on his Ipad, which enables him to watch any game he wants.

Even with the Knicks recent success, Obama says he's not worried about the Bulls chances.