Barack Obama takes playful jab at Steph Curry over past ankle problems

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Barack Obama and Steph Curry are good friends.

When you have that sort of relationship, you are allowed to make fun of each other and/or joke about sensitive material.

When the Warriors visited the White House back in early 2016, Obama made light of Curry "clownin'" on the Wizards the night before when he dropped 51 points. That same day, he also said that Klay Thompson's "jump shot is actually a little prettier."

Another example of Obama's sense of humor transpired on Tuesday night in Oakland, where Curry and the former President shared the stage for a town hall discussion as part of the Obama Foundation's My Brother's Keeper Alliance.

As Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle writes:

Asked Tuesday afternoon how he overcame his childhood struggles, former President Barack Obama glanced toward Warriors guard Stephen Curry.  “Steph,” Obama said with a smirk, “why don’t you tell them about your ankles?”

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This topic might be all fun and games now, but it certainly wasn't a laughing matter seven or eight years ago when Curry's NBA career was in jeopardy.

He underwent surgery on his right ankle in May 2011. And in regards to another procedure on the same ankle in April 2012, ESPN's Pablo Torre wrote in February 2016:

Steph Curry didn't know if he'd wake up owning a dead man's tendons ... The worst-case scenario now? Total re-reconstruction, meaning that everything rebuilt in Curry's first surgery would be reattempted. If that proved necessary, they'd use better parts -- specifically, tendons from a cadaver -- and the projected recovery time would be at least six months. But such an operation would also be extreme enough that no one would be sure how the new hinge would hold up on the court.

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Two MVPs, three NBA championships and a $200 million contract later, it's safe to say that Curry won the battle against the recurring ankle sprains.

Therefore Mr. President, you are allowed to continue to make those kinds of jokes.

Drew Shiller is the co-host of Warriors Outsiders. Follow him on Twitter @DrewShiller

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