Obama Returns to Basketball Court After Injury

Nov. 28, 2010— -- After receiving 12 stitches on his upper lip from an injury sustained while playing basketball with friends and family on Friday at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C., President Barack Obama is back on the basketball court.

The White House says that Obama was joined on the court with his daughters Malia and Sasha today inside the building that houses the Interior Department, according to The Associated Press.

On Friday the president was inadvertently elbowed while playing a game with Rey Decerega.

"I learned today the president is both a tough competitor and a good sport," Decerega, who works for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, said in a written statement. "I enjoyed playing basketball with him this morning. I'm sure he'll be back out on the court again soon."

The president was given a local anesthetic for the procedure.

The White House Medical Unit used a smaller filament that requires more stitches but makes them tighter, resulting in a smaller scar, the administration said.

The injury occurred in the last of the five games Obama was playing with his friends, which included his nephew, Avery Robinson, personal aide Reggie Love and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

Neither the first lady nor the Obama daughters, Malia and Sasha, were there at the time of the injury.

Obama's love of basketball is well documented and he's regularly spotted shooting hoops with friends. The president, who played basketball for his high school team in Hawaii, has stepped away from the White House on a few occasions to attend college and professional games.