UPI Pictures of the Year 2012 - WASHINGTON POLITICS

U.S. President Barack Obama receives a Dallas Mavericks jersey from Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki, of Germany, during a ceremony honoring the 2011 NBA Champions in the East Room of the White House on January 9, 2012 in Washington, DC. Obama shared some laughs as he congratulated Dallas for their first National Basketball League Championship. UPI/Pat Benic