Barack Obama Picks Michael Jordan Over LeBron James: "I Love Him, But I'm A Chicago Guy'

Former President Barack Obama claimed that he "loves" Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, however, he named former Chicago Bulls champion Michael Jordan as his favorite player.

Obama revealed who his favorite basketball player was during a September interview in Toronto with Britain’s Prince Harry released via BBC Radio 4 Wednesday. The two discussed Obama’s presidency, Donald Trump and social media.

"Jordan," he told Prince Harry when asked to pick between the two players. "Although I love LeBron. I’m a Chicago guy."

Obama greeted James and the Cavaliers with open arms in 2016 during a traditional White House visit after they secured the NBA championship.

"Hello, everybody! Welcome to the White House, and give it up for the World Champion, Cleveland Cavaliers! That’s right, I said 'World champion' and 'Cleveland' in the same sentence. That’s what we’re talking about when we talk about hope and change," Obama said during a White House speech on Nov. 10, 2016.

Obama, who spent years as a community organizer in Chicago, joked about the Cavs defeating the Golden State Warriors and how he believed it solidified the legacy of Jordan’s 1996 Bulls.

"And, I should add, that by knocking off the Warriors, they cemented the 1996 Bulls as the greatest team of all time," said Obama. "So your President thanks you for that. Now, I know, that’s funny, isn’t it? Yes, it is. See everybody is happy when their team wins."

Though born in Honolulu, Obama spent several years in Chicago before moving to Washington, D.C., and has often expressed admiration for the Bulls, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bears and Chicago Blackhawks.

Obama worked in Chicago from June 1985 to May 1988 as director of the Developing Communities Project (DCP), a church-based community organization in Chicago’s South Side neighborhood. He served as a community organizer, lawyer, Lecturer and Senior Lecturer of constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School in 1993. Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996 and served as a U.S. senator from Illinois from 2004 until his presidential victory in 2008.