Michelle Obama Hugs USA Basketball Players After Olympics Win Over France (PHOTOS)

First Lady Michelle Obama hugs USA's Lebron James after USA defeated France at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 29, 2012, in London.

-- After the first U.S. win, a hug from the first lady.

The U.S. men's basketball team cruised to a 98-71 victory over France in their Olympic opener on Sunday and got quite the reward.

Michelle Obama watched the game, a few rows back. At the final buzzer, the entire team came over for a hug, one by one.

"It was a very special moment," Carmelo Anthony says. "For her to be sitting over there and supporting us, we just wanted to thank her for coming."

___

Loading Slideshow

• Michelle Obama With USA Basketball

  First Lady Michelle Obama talks with USA's Kobe Bryant after USA defeated France in a preliminary men's basketball game at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 29, 2012, in London.

• Michelle Obama With USA Basketball

• Michelle Obama With USA Basketball

  First Lady Michelle Obama hugs USA's Kobe Bryant after Team USA defeated France in a preliminary men's basketball game at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 29, 2012, in London.

• Michelle Obama With USA Basketball

  First Lady Michelle Obama congratulates members of Team USA after defeating France in a preliminary men's basketball game at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 29, 2012, in London.

• Michelle Obama With USA Basketball

  First Lady Michelle Obama congratulates members of Team USA after defeating France in a preliminary men's basketball game at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 29, 2012, in London.

• Michelle Obama With USA Basketball

  First Lady Michelle Obama hugs USA's Lebron James after USA defeated France in a preliminary men's basketball game at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 29, 2012, in London.

• Michelle Obama With USA Basketball

  First Lady Michelle Obama participates in the wave during the first half of a preliminary men's basketball game between the USA and France at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 29, 2012, in London.

From our partners

• The 50 Worst Sports Movies - Bleacher Report
• 20 Reasons Baseball Is The Worst - Bleacher Report
• Sports Stars Of The '90s: Where Are They Now? - Bleacher Report

Comments

[ndm85]

11:05 PM on 08/08/2012

And where was Ann Romney? That's right, hugging her horse

[seawine]

06:14 PM on 08/02/2012

I hope Kobe doesn't get in trouble with his wife for philandering with Michelle Obama.

[tre gant]

11:40 AM on 08/02/2012

As far as how much she paid for the jacket unless someone shows me a bill of sale, I don't believe it. Politicians and Stars get catalogs from designers all the time in which they get a certain amount of free product. This is typically the way most designers advertise by giving these very important people product to wear it ends up being free marketing.

[crmt97]

11:37 AM on 08/02/2012

They didn't earn that medal anyway.....it was the gov't who did it!!! ;)

[hopeseeker]

08:51 PM on 08/01/2012

I need a hug...

[Tanker10a]

10:45 AM on 08/01/2012

I would have love to see Mrs. Obama supporting those young gymnast beauties last night. But she cannot be at more than one place at a time...

[SaraNader]

09:17 AM on 08/01/2012

Michelle -- go give Gabby a hug!!!

[Tanker10a]

10:47 AM on 08/01/2012

Why just Gabby?
What about the other four girls? They are all AMERICANS! Just in case that you forgot! Moron!

[Shame31]

01:45 PM on 08/01/2012

Well the media don't act like they are all Americans! Instead of the focus been on the girls who got in the all around it has been about the one who missed out. Gabby has not gotten the credit that she has earned for helping this team win the gold so if Mrs Obama don't give her a hug she want get one.

[tenae]

03:23 AM on 08/01/2012

GO USA TEAMS EVERYBODY DONE A WELL & FANTASTIC JOB...............KUDOS 2 ALL THE USA TEAM...............USA TEAMS ROCKS !!!!!!!!!!!

[lamanatee]

11:23 PM on 07/31/2012

Huff Po censors even slower on the uptake now: 4 comments pending forever.

[lamanatee]

11:19 PM on 07/31/2012

I noticed that the Yahoo poll on "I want a hug from Michelle" was 56% No & 32 Yes.

[SureThang]

07:05 PM on 08/01/2012

Yahoo...'nuff said.

[WellReadAussie2]

06:58 PM on 07/31/2012

"AUSSIE WORKING HARD"......Yep, working overtime to remember all the wonderful Americans I have met over my lifetime. Working hard to remember all my "in country" American experiences. Those experiences and people still generate warm memories and wide grins.

So I find it somewhat disturbing that there should be such an outpouring of disgust, hatred, racism and vile insults towards your First Lady. For what !!

But then, these detractions pale into insignificance against the torrent of personal abuse, lies, and mis-speaks evident every day in your general political dialogue.

It's about time America that you realised that the rest of the world, friends and foes, judge YOU by your mouths.
It's about time America that you PUBLICLY adopted some common standards of decency and accepted the meaning of truth.
Don't bother with abusive replies touting your "freedom of speech" nonsense......it's that very "freedom" which is ripping your society apart.

[Deus Angelus]

08:34 PM on 07/31/2012

WELL SAID!!

[lamanatee]

12:40 AM on 08/01/2012

What nonsense. Repeal the First Amendment because you don't like the comments. Any dissent is hate or racist, right?

[WellReadAussie2]

07:16 AM on 08/01/2012

Hi, many thanks for your words, and regards my apparent bad manners in a late reply..........tell it to the date line....lol.again.
No..no..no......"not, 'any dissent' as meaning 'all', bit certainly, you've got to admit, just a bit, that some of the public commentary is offensive....it "doesn't need to be said '.
By way of example, there have recently been an extraordinary number of comments about your First Lady........I found quite a lot which didn't pass the Aussie legally enforceable definitions of hate or racism......coz that's that what our society thinks, broadly.
Comment leading to "mature" conversation is thoroughly mentally stimulating......some times.
How about giving me access to more of your thoughts and words. F&F from Sydney
Cheers.....John

[powerlink]

04:54 PM on 07/31/2012

The quality of a man's thinking has nothing to do with how great his country of origin is but this should not be so.

[lamanatee]

04:04 PM on 07/31/2012

It should be called MB's Photo Op Glory.

[dionne67]

05:37 PM on 08/01/2012

Sounds about right!!

[lamanatee]

04:03 PM on 07/31/2012

I notice MB's is the lead photo on the Huff Po "Olympic Glory" page. What greater Olympic Glory could there be to Huff Po than her hugging the basketball players? Winning a gold medal or breaking a world record just pales in comparison.

[dionne67]

05:30 PM on 08/01/2012

If it were Mrs. Romney or Sarah P. giving hugs would that please you?

[lamanatee]

02:31 PM on 08/02/2012

I would not care equally.

[etexpat]

12:32 PM on 07/31/2012

Gee, I wonder if Mich is proud to be an American for the second time in her life?

[captnbahaha]

06:30 PM on 07/31/2012

I was thinking the exact same thing! Lol. Fanned!

[relentless63]

09:59 AM on 08/01/2012

Not thinking, captnbahaha, never thinking.