Barack Obama Gets STITCHES After Basketball Injury (PICTURES)

President Obama received 12 stitches after suffering an injury during a basketball game, according to a White House statement:

"After being inadvertently hit with an opposing player's elbow in the lip while playing basketball with friends and family, the President received 12 stitches today administered by the White House Medical Unit. They were done in the doctor's office located on the ground floor of the White House."

According to a pool report, Obama received a special type of fiber that should leave a smaller scar:

The medical unit that treated Obama used a smaller filament than typically used, which increases the number of stitches but makes a tighter stitch and results in a smaller scar. Obama was given a local anesthetic while receiving the stitches.

UPDATE (5:30pm ET) -- The pool report, from Roll Call's Jen Bendery, has solved the whodunnit question:

The White House announced the culprit who elbowed Obama in the lip earlier today: Rey Decerega, who is the director of programs for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.

Decerega said in a statement that the game was all in good fun (and didn't apologize):

"I learned today the president is both a tough competitor and a good sport. I enjoyed playing basketball with him this morning. I'm sure he'll be back out on the court again soon," Decerega said.

All stitches were in the president's upper lip. Scroll down for photos of Obama leaving the basketball game.

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Comments

[TCT1960]

05:48 PM on 11/29/2010

Any physical basketball play can lead to a blood lip, hope it gets better soon. Now the reason for this post: It isn't "Barack Obama Gets STITCHES After Basketball Injury" That would be President Barack Obama! I can't stress this enough, like his politics or don't....currently I'm not a big fan of the man, even though I voted for him. However, he is the President of the United States and is due the respect of the office. I keep seeing this time and time again in the media, the man has a title USE IT! Sorry for the rant but we have lost all decorum in this country lately.

[msrbsinger]

01:35 PM on 01/10/2011

Exactly...thing is the media goes from Pres.. to Mr. Obama to just Obama...smh...cannot recall EVER any of the previous 43 presidents being called just by their last names over and over again...Total Lack of respect, starting to really hate america !

[KJLSanDiego]

05:43 PM on 11/29/2010

If I were playing the President at anything, I'd likely feel too afraid to really give it my all, the same way most people let their bosses win at stuff. It feels disrespectful, or, something, to go at one's superior like that.

[patrick58]

03:51 PM on 11/29/2010

I'd say it's his bottom lip. Poor Dude!

[allengoldchain]

02:46 PM on 11/29/2010

Basketball is an aggressive sport especially when playing it with a physical player. A bloody lip comes with the game. Maybe BO should where one of those clear masks and get back on the court.

Just a game

[Lance Manling]

02:13 PM on 11/29/2010

What a baby. During a rugby game, I had my arm torn clean off and still finished the game and celebrated the win.

[plugnpillai]

02:30 PM on 11/29/2010

Pshaw! Rugby is for girly men. The other day I was curling, and the broom handle went straight through my neck and came out the other side. May be the splattered blood on the ice helped, but we won.

[dollyfedup]

01:19 PM on 11/29/2010

You mean to tell me Secret Service let another player get that close to the President? Magic Johnson said when he and some other players were invited to the White House to play Basketball with the President, they wouldn't let any of them near the President while playing and the Secret Service ran up and down the court with the President just to make sure no one got to close to the President. Shame on them!

[SmoothMineral]

02:59 PM on 11/29/2010

I think that there is a very good chance that the Secret Service didn't let people get close to the President during that basketball game BECAUSE Magic Johnson was playing.

[cookcar]

11:44 AM on 11/29/2010

Glad he is finding some time to decompress and destress; B-ball is a great game to stay physically fit.

[reneestake]

11:32 AM on 11/29/2010

Ouch!!!
check out www.fergusonstake.com

[hacharacter]

11:02 AM on 11/29/2010

Heal quickly Mr. President!

[notillegal2]

12:18 PM on 11/29/2010

Don't lean forward

[Emmanuel Hall]

10:38 AM on 11/29/2010

Jon Kyl plans are no different than the Republican scheme all along; to say no to any legislation proposed by President Obama, make him appear weak in the eyes of his supporters and hopefully that will keep them away from the polls as did happen in this last election.
Please write this down somewhere; this is the beginning of the end of the Republican party as we now know it. The voters who supported the Republicans will soon see what they have done to themselves and weep.

[trojwl]

10:30 AM on 11/29/2010

My understanding is that Obama had the ball, refused to go either left or right, decided to go "up the middle" - AND GOT CLOBBERED!

Is there a lesson here?

[grooth]

02:41 PM on 11/29/2010

he can't go right and won't go under the boards...the only boards he goes near are the "idiot boards" he reads off.

[jonny8440]

07:47 PM on 11/29/2010

Yep! There's a very clear lesson.

[Bluelynx]

10:24 AM on 11/29/2010

Get well soon, Mr. President!

[Rat Juice]

10:05 AM on 11/29/2010

Less Basketball, More fixing of the economy.

Not being down on him, but I dont need to hear about his off time.

http://ratjuice.blogspot.com

[Kareem Harper]

02:29 PM on 11/29/2010

Touche - though he has done more during his time in office with less "vacation time" than our previous president within the same period.

Just saying...

[rebel9999]

09:09 AM on 11/29/2010

It's good to see that cigarette smoking hasn't harmed his ability to run on the court. I wonder if he smokes during timeouts?

[ArchieBunker II]

08:50 AM on 11/29/2010

I really love it when the people go off on The President for HIS hobbies! Guy has a hard enough job as it is,I'm just happy that he has a good (don't like Biden) ticker! Maybe he can get my favorite (and only jersey I ever paid for) Sir Charles as his enforcer in his next pickup game.