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Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Nehisi Coates - Ta-Nehisi Coates is a senior editor for The Atlantic, where he writes about culture, politics, and social issues for TheAtlantic.com and the magazine. He is the author of the memoir The Beautiful Struggle. More

Born in 1975, the product of two beautiful parents. Raised in West Baltimore—not quite The Wire, but sometimes ill all the same. Studied at the Mecca for some years in the mid-’90s. Emerged with a purpose, if not a degree. Slowly migrated up the East Coast with a baby and my beloved, until I reached the shores of Harlem. Wrote some stuff along the way.

But don't say he's a black guy...

By Ta-Nehisi Coates
Dec 2 2008, 12:01 PM ET Comment

Even in the most ghetto-ass, chitterling circuit, Booty Call/Soul Plane-ish flick, a black president's cabinet would not be a bunch of ex-ball players. And yet here we are...

Besides their impressive resumes and political star-power, a few of President-elect Barack Obama's top cabinet choices have something else in common -- hoop dreams.

Though these days Eric H. Holder Jr., Susan E. Rice and Gen. James L. Jones, may be more comfortable handling policy memos than shooting free throws, at one point they were very much at home on the court.

And as the basketball-loving president-elect assembles his so-called team of rivals, it appears he may have - coincidentally -- put together a pretty competitive group of players.

What an amazing time. Fuck a team of rivals. A team of ballers, fool. No, seriously. We got next.

UPDATE: And via TNR and Yglesias Napolitano has coached basketball. Dude, when this is all said and done, I want to see a game.


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