Trump Finally Goes After LeBron, Delivers 1-2 Insult Punch
One of the most liked tweets in history was from LeBron James and directed at President Donald Trump after he disinvited the Golden State Warriors from visiting the White House in 2017.
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!
— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 23, 2017
It sits at nearly 1.5 million likes, a monumental figure on Twitter. Even more surprising than that is the fact that Trump never responded or fired back at James after the NBA star insulted him and called him a “bum.” Say what you will about the president, but he’s not exactly one to walk away from a feud.
Well, Trump was apparently just biding his time. He waited for the opportune moment and he got one. In fact, Trump got the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone when James sat down for a CNN interview with Don Lemon.
James and Lemon broached a number of subjects, including the school for at-risk kids LeBron is opening up in Akron, Ohio, but the topic of the current presidential administration was clearly unavoidable. In fairness to James, he was a little more subdued in his criticisms of Trump, but he did accuse the president of trying to use sports to divide people.
“Sports has never been something that divides people,” James said. “It’s always been something that brings someone together.”
He also vaguely hinted at the possibility of running for president after being pressed by Lemon.
“Let’s see first,” James eventually relented.
Four days after the interview, Trump finally pounced on James. Despite the Los Angeles Lakers star’s constant attacks on Trump, the president had remained mum on James until now.
Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon. He made Lebron look smart, which isn’t easy to do. I like Mike!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 4, 2018
Trump called Lemon the “dumbest man on television,” which isn’t anything new in the president’s ongoing feud with CNN.
“(Lemon) made Lebron look smart, which isn’t easy to do,” the president said. While James has assuredly been called much worse things that slightly smarter than the dumbest man on television, Trump knew exactly how to follow up and hit the self-proclaimed “King” right where it hurts.
“I like Mike!” said Trump, alluding to Chicago Bulls legend (and arguably the greatest basketball player of all time) Michael Jordan. James has made no secret that he is chasing Jordan’s ghost in terms of basketball legacy.
Unlike James, however, Jordan has always understood the value of remaining apolitical while being a public figure.
In Sam Smith’s 1995 book chronicling Jordan’s return from a baseball sabbatical, “Second Coming,” the Bulls star was quoted about why he chooses to remain out of politics.
“Republicans buy shoes, too,” Jordan reportedly said.
While neither James nor Jordan will ever have to worry about money, LeBron could take another page out of Jordan’s book (James already wears Jordan’s No. 23 jersey) when it comes to politics, and follow his own advice about not using sports to divide people.
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