Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on Tuesday continued his election day tradition of playing basketball--only to get battered after accidently getting knocked to the ground by Alexi Giannoulias, the Illinois State Treasurer.
Obama chief strategist David Axelrod--who also played in the pick-up game--said Obama was hit in the chest when he got in the way of the shoulder of Giannoulias as the former pro player drove to the basket.
Giannoulias "bashed the ribs of the next president of the United States," Axelrod said. Obama "was knocked down."
Though Obama was bruised, Axelrod said he did not see a doctor.
Obama has played basketball since he was a kid and starting with the Iowa caucus vote in January, Obama has played basketball on election day. Giannoulias, who is close to Obama--has joined him in several of these election day games. On the campaign trail, he often plays pick-up games with staff and Secret Service agents.
Usually reluctant to let reporters see him play these pickup games--with exceptions to carefully selected media--Obama made displaying his basketball talents a part of his Indiana campaign, especially since he's got game on the court. Obama does now bowl and in Pennsylvania he awkwardly went bowling in a pitch to middle class voters and rolled a 37 for seven frames.