when robinson's sister, michelle, began dating her law firm colleague, barack obama, who played basketball recreationally, she asked her brother to play with obama and give her a character assessment so that she would know whether she could become serious with him. he gave an encouraging report to her. as he later related, "when i played basketball with barack, he was quietly confident, which means he had good self-esteem without being cocky. he was certainly a team player – he wasn't a pig, he passed when he was supposed to pass, and he cut when he was supposed to cut. to me, that speaks to a lack of selfishness. he had natural leadership ability, because he didn't just pass me the ball because he was dating my sister. whenever a player gets tired, he reverts to the player he truly is. that's how you tell. and we played for hours. that's how i could tell." the story of this pick-up game and of a "test" being passed became a key part of the obama narrative.