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Friday, Obama took an elbow to the face during a basketball game, the White House said.
Obama was given local anesthetic while getting stitched up, spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
The White House later identified the man who struck the president as Rey Decerega, the program director at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, who said the game was all in good fun.
"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 in a statement.
Obama has a famous love for the game, and often displays skills on the court that are the envy of many of his compatriots.
A game among friends became a ritual for him throughout the long campaign for the White House in 2008.
For his birthday this year he traded passes and scuffles at the White House with a number of the game's current greats, including Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James of the Miami Heat, and former NBA star Earvin "Magic" Johnson.
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Obama was given local anesthetic while getting stitched up, spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
The White House later identified the man who struck the president as Rey Decerega, the program director at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, who said the game was all in good fun.
"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 in a statement.
Obama has a famous love for the game, and often displays skills on the court that are the envy of many of his compatriots.
A game among friends became a ritual for him throughout the long campaign for the White House in 2008.
For his birthday this year he traded passes and scuffles at the White House with a number of the game's current greats, including Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James of the Miami Heat, and former NBA star Earvin "Magic" Johnson.
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