Former President Obama says he'd join the Spurs if he were an NBA free agent

SAN ANTONIO – While many Spurs fans are hoping to land superstar LeBron James in the offseason, former President Barack Obama says he’d choose San Antonio if he were an NBA free agent.

Obama was invited to this year’s MIT’s Sloan Sports Analytics Conference for an off-the-record session in front of hundreds of people.

RELATED: Kawhi Leonard shows up at Spurs' practice facility 

And despite policy stating that photography, video recording, streaming, and social media posting would not be permitted during Obama’s panel, Spurs fans will be happy to know the full audio recording was leaked by the Libertarian magazine Reason.

The audio recording gives an understanding into the basketball mind of the 44th president of the United States.

((To listen to Obama's response, scrub through to the 46:15 mark))

Sitting next to Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, Obama was asked a hypothetical question by one of the sports conference’s interviewers.

"You’re an NBA All-Star. You’re a free agent this offseason. Every team is offering you the max contract. Which teams would you choose to meet with in free agency and why?"

RELATED: Cavs identify, ban fan indefinitely after yelling racial slur toward Spurs' Patty Mills 

And while Obama initially bounced around the question joking about the scenario, he goes on to share what he would want in an organization before making a decision if he were an NBA free agent.

"I think it's fair to say that there are organizations in the NBA or the NFL that may not win every year, but have created the kind of culture that I was referring to earlier. They're smart, they're well run, they're focused on the team, they treat everybody in the organization with respect, and that is the kind of organization that I would want to be a part of.

RELATED: WATCH: AT&T Center transforms from rodeo to Spurs' home court in less than a minute

"And so, I will say that, over the last 15 years in basketball, San Antonio would be a great example of that," Obama told the audience.

Obama went on to poke a little fun at San Antonio’s recent drama with Kawhi Leonard, who had reportedly been medically cleared to play but elected to sit out until he felt comfortable managing his quadriceps tendinopathy injury.

Follow Adrian on Twitter | Like Adrian on Facebook 

"But if look at what they built, it’s just a smart, well run operation with a good culture and it takes not just All-Stars, but people nobody saw coming and molds them into a great team."

Spurs fans must wonder if the silver and black left a lasting impression on Obama when they visited the White House after winning the 2014 NBA Championship during his presidency.

SAN ANTONIO STORY IDEAS & TIPS, EMAIL: agarcia@ksat.com