'Obama Curse' Finally Broken as Wizards Land No. 1 Draft Pick

The Washington Wizards won the NBA draft lottery on Sunday and received the first overall selection in this year's draft. It was a rare bit of good fortune for the franchise, which has languished for years under the dark cloud of an Obama-related curse—until now, perhaps.

The Wizards haven't had a winning record since the 2016-17 season, when the nation's capital was still buzzing with excitement after Donald Trump's historic victory over Hillary Clinton. After a down year in 2018-19, the team's owner—liberal billionaire Ted Leonsis—made a decision that has haunted the franchise ever since: He called former president Barack Obama for advice.

According to the Washington Post, the billionaire owner reached out to his "friend" in April 2019. One source recalled that Obama has "never been shy about giving Leonsis his opinion of the NBA." The former president reportedly emphasized "teamwork" and "sacrifice," as well as respect for the "beauty of the game."

Needless to say, it didn't work. The Wizards have the league's worst record (179-375) since 2019, when Obama weighed in on the team's future. This past season, the Wizards became the first NBA franchise in history to lose at least 64 games (out of 82) each year for three years in a row. In other words, the team has been terrible, and there's more than sufficient evidence to suggest Obama is to blame.

Consider the timing. Obama spoke with Leonsis just weeks after wreaking havoc at a Duke-UNC basketball game. The former president looked on as Duke star Zion Williamson suffered a freak injury after his shoe exploded less than a minute after tipoff. Williamson did not return, and UNC cruised to victory.

Obama has a history of pernicious meddling in sports. Tiger Woods, one of the greatest living golfers, failed to win a single major championship during Obama's presidency. Few were surprised when Tiger captured his fifth Masters title in 2019—two years after Trump was sworn in. That same year, Obama appears to have redoubled his sports-related cursing efforts.

In June, a few months after the scandalous shoe explosion, Obama traveled to Canada to attend Game 2 of the NBA finals between the Toronto Raptors and the Golden State Warriors. The American team lost two starting players to injury on Obama's watch and wound up losing the series in six games. It was, and remains, the only time a Canadian team won the NBA finals.

The fact that Leonsis, a former AOL executive and longtime Democratic donor, would seek out Obama's advice despite the obvious warning signs suggests he may have invited the curse in order to sabotage the franchise. It's also conceivable that Obama acted alone. Critics have argued that Obama takes pleasure in using dark magic to punish athletes because he has also imagined himself to be good at sports even though he clearly isn't.

Just when it seemed that most Americans had forgotten about the Obama curse, the scandal gained new life last month when the New York Mets suffered a 12-game losing streak. Curse-watchers were quick to observe that the Mets' woes began after New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani (D.), whom Obama has praised as an "extraordinary talent," visited Citi Field and hugged the team's mascot during a photo op.

Suspicions regarding Obama's involvement were confirmed when, amid the historic losing streak, Mamdani met with the former president in the Bronx. The meeting sparked outrage among American voters who believe elected leaders should spend less time cursing beloved sports teams and more time solving actual problems.

It remains to be seen if the Wizards can turn things around. Picking first in the NBA draft is no guarantee of future success, but it does give long-suffering fans a reason to be hopeful that change is on the horizon.

The post 'Obama Curse' Finally Broken as Wizards Land No. 1 Draft Pick appeared first on .