" Chris Duhon got to know President Barack Obama during pickup games in Chicago last spring and summer. Here are his thoughts, as told to Marc Berman, on yesterday's inauguration of the 44th President of the United States:

AS I watched the inaugu ration unfold on TV in the locker room with my Knicks teammates after yesterday's practice, I felt excited for our country, excited for my best friend Reggie Love and excited for my basketball acquaintance, President Barack Obama.

Reggie Love is Obama's right-hand man, but his official title is "Special Assistant and Personal Aide to POTUS (President of the United States)."

To me, he's just Reggie, my teammate for three years at Duke whom I still speak to every day. Through Reggie, I met President Obama and played pickup basketball games with him this past April, May and June - 5 on 5 - in Chicago's East Bank Club. Reggie invited me to yesterday's inauguration - an offer I had to decline.

To watch Obama win on Election Night was thrilling after meeting him on a personal level. It felt like Reggie was winning, too. Yesterday, after watching the inauguration ceremony, I just felt very excited because I felt connected to it as well.

It's a breath of fresh air that we're going to try to make a change. I texted Reggie right after the speech, "Congrats. Wish I could've been there."

When Obama finished his speech yesterday, all of my Knicks teammates clapped as one. It was emotional. No one in that room expected to see a black president in their lifetime. I didn't think that was something that would happen, growing up in Louisiana. To witness it actually happen shows that all of what our ancestors worked for and sacrificed for has finally come about.

Obama is very confident and he presents himself as a strong leader. He'll do whatever it takes to get things done.

The times I've spent with Obama at the East Bank Club, he was very approachable, easy to talk to, cracking a lot of jokes. He made me feel comfortable as soon as we met, made me feel loose. It was cool to get to play with him a few times after my last Bulls season ended.

He watches basketball all the time. He and Reggie talk about sports and he loves the Chicago teams. He always asked me, "Are the Bulls going to make the playoffs this year? How good are they going to be?" He was always watching, especially because Reggie keeps an eye on my game. "