On Friday, the 24th of July, President Obama surprised the WNBA’s All-Stars and coaches during their practice at the Obama Presidential Center’s Home Court before eventually joining the 9th-grade girls participating in the WNBA Changemakers program, underscoring the transformative and impactful nature of women’s sports.
The President joined 22 All-Star players, head coaches Cheryl Reeve and Becky Hammon; assistant coaches; and honorary general managers Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon on the court. The surprise drop-by took place during WNBA All-Star Practice and Media Day, one of a series of leading events taking place at the Obama Presidential Center as part of WNBA All-Star.
Following All-Star practice, President Obama surprised nearly 100 high school freshmen girls for the third annual WNBA Changemaker Day in the Center’s Elie Wiesel Auditorium. The Changemaker Day is a half-day summit focused on inspiring and empowering rising 9th-grade girls. Participants came from Chicago Public Schools and programs offered through the Foundation’s Girls Opportunity Alliance.
After President Obama’s remarks at the Changemaker opening session, the girls left to break into workshops in the Obama Center’s Democracy in Action Lab (DIAL) program rooms. There, they focused on “finding their superpower.”
The events reflected one of the Center's main goals: inspiring young people to dream bigger, explore new possibilities, and recognize their own potential to lead and create change in their communities.
The Obama Presidential Center was created to be a place where people from across the street and around the world can gather, learn, connect, and be inspired to make a difference in their communities. Since its opening a month ago, the Center has welcomed tens of thousands of visitors from around the world, who have been inspired, empowered, and connected.
