Trump criticised after he bizarrely suggests LeBron James is 'racist' | indy100

Photo by Eric Lee/Getty Images and Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images

Donald Trump has been criticised over his comment where he bizarrely suggested basketball star LeBron James is "racist."

During a White House press conference on Friday, the president was asked by a reporter if whether Michael Jordan or LeBron James was the "best ever".

On the same day, James - the NBA’s all-time leading scorer - announced his move to the Philadelphia 76ers, reportedly on a two-year deal worth around £6m after his exit from the Los Angeles Lakers.

“Michael Jordan is a guy that’s a friend of mine,” Trump replied. “I play golf with him. He’s a really good guy."

Jordan has six titles and five MVP awards, while Jordan has won four titles and four MVP awards.

Trump's attentions then turned to LeBron, "I think LeBron is, maybe he’s a racist, but maybe he doesn’t like Trump. I don’t know. I only like people that like me, so I would say Michael Jordan all the way.”

(L-R) President Trump and LeBron JamesPhoto by Eric Lee/Getty Images and Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images

At the time of writing, James has not publicly responded to Trump's remark.

James began his basketball career in Cleveland Cavaliers, he then won the championship twice with Miami before returning to the Cleveland where he won his third and then later at the Lakers he won his fourth.

The clip from the news conference of Trump saying James might be “a racist” soon went viral as social media criticised the president's comment.

One person said, "Bron hasn’t even played a game with the Sixers and his GOAT case has already gotten considerably stronger."

Mehdi Hasan wrote, " '“I only like people who like me' - the proud mantra of a toddler."

Pennsylvania State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, reacted, "Trump is a racist. No maybe."

"Healthy, normal thing for the President of a country of 340 million people to say," someone else commented.

As for his politics, James has been a critic of Trump's having campaigned for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and then President Joe Biden in the 2020. At this time, Trump mentioned James at a Pennsylvania rally saying he "felt badly" for the basketball star despite him winning his fourth NBA Championship as Finals ratings were considerably down.

He added: “I didn’t watch one shot. I get bored.”

The audience then chanted “LeBron James sucks,” and Trump responded: “What a crowd!”

Then, James publicly endorsed Trump's opponent and Democrat candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 US presidential election

On social media he wrote, “What are we even talking about here?? When I think about my kids and my family and how they will grow up, the choice is clear to me. VOTE KAMALA HARRIS!!!”.

Meanwhile, Jordan was forced to deny he had endorsed Trump response after fake social media posts suggesting this had made the rounds.

"There is absolutely no truth to the claim that Michael Jordan has made an endorsement in the presidential election,” Jordan's representatives told The Independent in a statement at the time.

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