Chicago: After a long and costly presidential campaign, President Barack Obama indulged in his favourite election-day pastime: unwinding on the basketball court.

Obama hit the court in his adopted hometown with Education Secretary Arne Duncan and former personal aide Reggie Love, both onetime college-level players, and other friends, the White House said.

The president likes to play basketball on election days.

But there also may be a hint of superstition in his commitment to the habit. As the story goes, the one time Obama did not play on election day was January 2008 during the Democratic primary in New Hampshire, where Hillary Clinton beat him.

The president also joked to a local radio station that he had recently caught up on the international dance hit "Gangnam Style," by South Korea's Psy.

"I tell you what, I just saw that video for the first time. I think I can do that move," Obama told WZID-FM. "But I'm not sure that the inauguration ball is the appropriate time to break that out. Maybe do it privately for Michelle."