WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama says he's been playing hoops on the White House basketball court and his 7-year-old daughter, Sasha, wants to join a basketball team.

During their initial weeks in the White House, the first family checked out the bowling alley, outdoor court and horseshoe pitch. Obama, who struggled at bowling during a campaign stop last year, joked that he wanted to use the gutter bumpers used for children's bowling.

Interviewed on NBC's "Today" show, the president also joked about keeping his high-tech Blackberry, saying it's like the movie "Inspector Gadget."

The first family is in the latest issue of Us magazine, but the president is missing from the cover photo, replaced by singer Jessica Simpson.

A teasing Obama said that was a "little hurtful," then reading the cover said Simpson is in a "weight battle apparently."

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