Barack Obama has discussed owning an NBA team after leaving the White House

Yuri Gripas/Reuters

Normally, US presidents go into relative obscurity after leaving the presidency, but Barack Obama might buck the trend and move from one high-profile position to another: NBA owner.

According to White House press secretary Josh Earnest, via ESPN news services, the commander-in-chief has discussed the idea of owning an NBA franchise and would pursue it "potentially ... under the right circumstances."

The fact that Obama has had this desire is nothing new, though. It's been much publicized that Obama is a huge basketball fan, especially when it comes to his hometown Chicago Bulls.

Also, we wrote a few months ago about President Obama's fantasy of owning a team, but now it seems like his fantasy is starting to become something much more real.

Something like this, with a former US president, particularly one like President Obama, would result in huge publicity for the NBA, but there could be some problems. Obama owning a team could be a slippery slope for the other owners. On the one hand, he would be a great guy to have involved in your league, but there could be an issue with his super-high profile. He could also come in and have an immediate advantage over other owners in terms of influence and sway over players.

Imagine a prospective free agent deciding where he's going to sign and then realizing that one of the teams chasing him is "The President's Team." A player could be excited to play for Obama, or even fear saying no, and that could potentially create a competitive imbalance in the league.