Trump Calls LeBron 'Maybe a Racist' in GOAT Debate
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- Donald Trump called LeBron James "maybe a racist" at a White House news conference when asked who is the basketball "best ever," saying "I only like people that like me, so I would say Michael Jordan all the way."
- Trump justified his Jordan pick by calling the Hall of Famer "a friend of mine" and saying "I play golf with him," citing Jordan's six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s and five MVP awards.
- LeBron James, 41, announced Friday he is joining the Philadelphia 76ers, teaming with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Jaylen Brown to pursue a fifth NBA championship after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers.
- James has been a longstanding critic of Trump, endorsing Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris in presidential races and calling Trump "a bum" in 2017 after a dispute over White House invitations for NBA champions.
- James holds four NBA titles (Miami Heat twice, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers), four MVP awards, and is the league's all-time leader in points and games played, but had not responded to Trump's "racist" remark at time of publication.
Why it matters: Trump's "racist" label against James — who endorsed three of his Democratic opponents and publicly clashed with him since 2017 — reopens a feud with the NBA's all-time scoring leader just as James lands on a Philadelphia roster built to chase a fifth title alongside Embiid and Maxey.
