When the Lakers visited the White House earlier this week, President Obama wished guard Shannon Brown good luck in the upcoming contest, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Brown was shocked that the leader of the free world knew he was going to be a participant.
"When he did that, I didn't know what to do, man," Brown told the Times. "I was like, 'This dunk contest needs to hurry up.' I got kind of juiced. I need to be out there now."
The Lakers' guard says the President's wish adds pressure to the competition.
"He just added a little bit of pressure," Brown told the Times. "That's well-worth-it pressure. I'd rather have pressure from the president than anybody else."
The NBA dunk contest is on Feb. 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas as part of the NBA's All-Star Saturday. Last year's NBA All-Star Saturday boasted its best ratings in the history of the festivities.
President Obama has not committed to watching Brown in the dunk contest. The president has other challenges to face.
