Obama's NBA prediction

Obama picked Kobe Bryant and the Lakers to beat Orlando in six games.

(CNN) – As he departed the White House Tuesday evening for his five day trip to the Middle East and Europe, President Barack Obama made a quick prediction:

“Lakers in six, I think," the president said when asked by a reporter for Bloomberg News who he thought would prevail in the NBA finals - beginning Thursday and pitting the Los Angeles Lakers against the Orlando Magic.

Fans of both teams can take heart. The president correctly predicted the NCAA Basketball champion in March (The University of North Carolina), but falsely predicted the Lakers would win the NBA finals last year, also in six games. (Instead, it was the Boston Celtics who won in six.)