Washington ( CNN ) -- Apparently no good deed goes unpunished for President Barack Obama , who was trying to make sure he did n't get a flabby belly after Thanksgiving but wound up with a fat lower lip instead . White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the president received a dozen stitches after getting hit with an errant elbow during a Friday morning basketball game with White House aide Reggie Love and others at the Fort McNair military base in Washington . The elbow belonged to Rey Decerega , who works for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute . According to White House aides , Decerega went up for a shot and turned into the President , who was playing defense and accidentally got hit in the mouth . `` I learned today the president is both a tough competitor and a good sport , '' Decerega said in a statement released by the White House . `` I enjoyed playing basketball with him this morning . I 'm sure he 'll be back out on the court again soon . '' According to Gibbs , `` After being inadvertently hit with an opposing player 's elbow in the lip while playing basketball with friends and family , the president received 12 stitches today administered by the White House Medical Unit . They were done in the doctor 's office located on the ground floor of the White House . '' Aides said Obama was given a local anesthetic while receiving the stitches , and doctors used a smaller-than-usual filament . That increased the number of stitches needed to patch up the tear , but it made a tighter stitch so that the scar on the president 's lower lip should be smaller . Obama frequently plays basketball , works out on a daily basis , and was undoubtedly playing Friday to work off some extra Thanksgiving calories . An official White House menu showed that in addition to turkey and the usual trimmings , the first family dined Thursday on six types of pie : apple , sweet potato , pumpkin , banana cream , cherry , and huckleberry . Asked by CNN if Decerega will be getting a presidential pardon , a top White House aide just laughed .
Obama gets two stitches after taking an elbow to the head . Gibbs : Obama is locked up in the White House doctor 's office . The owner of the errant dog calls Obama ` ` a tough competitor and a good friend ''