LeBron James is the best basketball player in the world, and with that comes a great deal of leadership and responsibility. Leadership and responsibility are also two of the tenets which are synonymous the Office of the Presidency of the United States. These tenets, however, aren’t exactly synonymous with the President himself, Donald Trump. Trump’s interest lies more in the Twitterverse, where he makes brash, unruly claims which stir division and sow the seeds of hate and bigotry.
Trump has targeted athletes on many occasions and for a variety of reasons, and athletes in the NFL and NBA, in particular, have taken aim at the President and defended themselves and their peers. Perhaps no player has taken this task on board more than LeBron James has. James has never backed down from the President, and has established himself as one of the faces of this athlete-led revolution against injustice.
It is quite incredible to consider just how vast James’ influence is. The modern revolution against injustice, particularly in the sports world, started with Colin Kaepernick in 2016. The movement gained momentum in the NFL, with players kneeling against injustice during the National Anthem – an action which Trump has made it his personal mission to frequently disparage.
A short time after this, Kaepernick played his last game in the NFL to date, and it has been suggested that he has been blacklisted by team owners. Fast forward to 2018, LeBron is leading athletes from all sports and walks of life in a movement against Trump and his hateful rhetoric. He has even clapped back at a condescending Fox News reporter in the process, while making Trump look foolish on multiple occasions. What James has achieved over the past two years off the court arguably trumps anything he has done on the hardwood. With that in mind, let’s take a look at five times LeBron has destroyed Trump.
5. That time LeBron opened a school
Earlier this year, James, through his LeBron James Family Foundation, opened and funded a state-of-the-art school, the I Promise School, for at-risk children. The school’s provision extends beyond the classroom, and affords children with access to necessities and certain luxuries which make their life easier. It even affords college scholarships to graduates of the school, and job programs for parents. Trump, on the other hand, shifted kids cancer charity money into his businesses. Does any more need to be said?
4. Why does he have time to comment?
In August, Trump insulted the intelligence of James (and Don Lemon) after the latter interviewed James. LeBron dunked on Trump with a classy, intelligent response (I bet Trump didn’t expect that), saying that Trump’s insults don’t bother him, but the fact that the man with the most powerful job in the world has the time to insult him. Food for thought from the four-time NBA MVP.
3. Silence
We all know Trump to be someone who says whatever pops into his head and doesn’t consider any possible repercussions. However, on more than one occasion, LeBron has spoken without response from Trump. Is Trump intimidated? Potentially. The first occasion was ahead of the 2018 NBA Finals, LeBron said the following: “I know no matter who wins this series, no one wants the invite. It won’t be Golden State or Cleveland going.” The second was when James put-down Trump as the “so-called President of the United States” at a foundation event in August, 2017.
2. Addressing the hate
LeBron James absolutely destroyed Trump and his disgraceful rhetoric with a Tweet attributing to the rise of hate in America. James Tweeted the following: “Hate has always existed in America. Yes we know that but Donald Trump just made it fashionable again! Statues has nothing to do with us now.” Imagine having such an abhorrent sentiment attached to you. Ouch.
1. “U bum”
My personal favorite. Simple, and to the point. After Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry confirmed that the NBA Champion Warriors would not attend the White House as has been traditionally done by Championship teams, Trump uninvited the team. James then called out Trump on Twitter with the following scathing Tweet: “ U bum @stephencurry30 already said he ain’t going! So therefore ain’t no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!”
Simple. Effective. Dominant.
Expect this list to grow while Trump remains in power, and James continues to be a beacon of leadership for athletes and the broader community. With the support James has garnered from other athletes, don’t expect him to back down any time soon. He is more than just an athlete.
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