Barack Obama Goes Viral As Netizens Compare His Olympic Basketball Team Visit To Key & Peele Skit 

Posted on by EDITORIAL FEATURES

A video of Barack Obama is going viral after visiting the USA men’s basketball team as social media users reacted to its similarities with a well-known Key & Peele Comedy Central skit from 2014. 


In the iconic sketch, Jordan Peele plays the role of Obama greeting a line of supporters. As he makes his way along the line, he gives the white onlookers formal greetings while exchanging elaborate handshakes with the Black supporters.  

It was a similar scene when Obama met Team USA’s Olympic basketball team at a showcase before they jet off to the Olympic Games in Paris later this month.  

He hugged and dapped up each player in turn, including Anthony Edwards, Steph Curry and LeBron James, with an intricate handshake before turning to the coaching staff and exchanging more traditional greetings. 

The clip was widely shared on social media, with one post from Barstool Sports attracting over five million plays on X (Twitter).  

“Obama broke out the old Key and Peele playbook,” the caption read.  

Many others shared side-by-side videos of the real-life Obama and the Key & Peele skit. 

Meanwhile, Obama branded himself the “Hooper-in-Chief” in a message to the team.  

“I just want to come here to help send off the soon-to-be gold medal winners. We invented this game and I don’t like it when we don’t win,” he said. ”Assuming they play as a team, our talent will be unmatched. I’m confident that they’ll be bringing back the gold and representing us the way we should be represented around the world.”