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Published December 23, 2015
President Obama will be aboard the carrier vessel that buried Osama bin Laden on Veterans Day Friday, but not for an event related to terrorism or military action - he'll be there for a basketball game.
Obama will be attending the "Carrier Classic" in San Diego, a college hoops match-up between North Carolina and Michigan State.
The USS Carl Vinson also happens to be the carrier that buried Usama bin Laden at sea earlier this year. The burial took place within Muslim tradition and timing, but happened at sea because officials were worried if it were on land, that other terrorists would treat it as a shrine and inspiration point.
Obama gave the CIA mission a go on Friday, April 20, and announced bin Laden's death that following Sunday after a Navy SEAL team killed him in a covert operation in Pakistan, where bin Laden was hiding in a compound.
The carrier will serve as a backdrop for one of the president's favorite past-times, as he's an avid basketball fan - both as a player and observer. Obama plays often in Washington and even helped coach one of his daughter's school teams last year.
He's also attended several NBA games as president.
This will be the first game on an active carrier of this kind.
The college players will be dribbling on the 1,092-foot, nuclear-powered carrier and playing to a crowd of mostly active military personnel. The event is not open to the public.
North Carolina's basketball team has definitely been on Obama's radar before -- he's picked the Tar Heels correctly in his NCAA bracket in 2009, where they actually beat Michigan State, the same team they're playing Friday.
Obama also had them over to the White House to congratulate them on winning the big dance.
Before heading to San Diego, Obama will host Veterans at the White house and lay a wreath at Arlington Cemetery.
After the game he heads to Honolulu to host the APEC summit.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/obama-to-watch-college-basketball-game-on-carrier-that-buried-osama-bin-laden