NBA Finals: What was Barack Obama saying to the virtual fans during Game 1?

The 2020 NBA Finals are officially underway as the Los Angeles Lakers handled the Miami Heat in a 116-98 victory in Game 1 on Wednesday night. While millions of fans around the world tuned in to watch the league's best players face off for an NBA championship, a strong contingent of stars were in attendance to witness the festivities as well. Virtually, that is.

The NBA curated a section of 17 former champions to watch the finals opener, including Bill Walton, Julius Erving, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal.

However, one star reigned supreme over the title winners: the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama.

Obama, sitting directly in the middle of the virtual fan bleachers with the champs, appeared to be giving a speech to those in attendance. To the fans watching from home, it wasn't clear if he was actually speaking to anyone in particular.

Why is President Obama giving a speech as he watches this game?

— Chris Herring (@Herring_NBA) October 1, 2020

.@BarackObama cutting ads and giving speeches during the commercials

— Bakari Sellers (@Bakari_Sellers) October 1, 2020

Turns out, the technology allows for the virtual fans sitting near one another to exchange pleasantries.

When you're a virtual fan, you can talk to other virtual fans in your section. (Shoutout all my Australian friends who were in my section when I was a virtual fan during my Bubble quarantine) https://t.co/TdJQaRVLlx

— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) October 1, 2020

So, what exactly did Obama have to say?

View this post on Instagram

Last night, I surprised a group of first-time poll workers at the @NBA Finals. These @MoreThanAVote volunteers are stepping up to make sure this election runs safely and fairly in their communities-and you can too by signing up to volunteer at more.vote/next.

A post shared by Barack Obama (@barackobama) on Oct 1, 2020 at 3:08pm PDT

Among the virtual fans for Game 1 were 40 first-time poll workers, part of the NBA's efforts to connect fans with nonpartisan voting resources. Players began wearing warm-up shirts with the word "VOTE" before the conference finals and will continue wearing them for the remainder of the season.

LeBron James, who finished Game 1 with 23 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists in the Lakers' win, made sure to show his appreciation to Obama and his speech following the contest.

We see you Mr President. Thank you!!! @Morethanavote #Blacklivesmatter https://t.co/4qqpVDgcto

— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 1, 2020

MORE: Everything we learned about the Lakers-Heat Finals after Game 1