This archive report was first published on 6 August 2020.
On August 05, 2020, LeBron James reacted to criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump over NBA players kneeling in protest before games.
Trump had previously stated that he switches off the game when he sees players kneel, describing it as “disgraceful” and “not acceptable” in a Fox News interview.
However, James, the Los Angeles Lakers forward, remained unbothered by the loss of Trump's viewership, saying, “I really don’t think the basketball community are sad about losing his viewership, him viewing the game.”
James emphasized the NBA's commitment to social justice and its global fan base, stating, “Our fans not only love the way we play the game, we try to give it back to them with our commitment to the game but also respect what else we try to bring to the game and acknowledging what’s right and what’s wrong.”
James has been a leading voice for social justice in the NBA, and his comments come amid a wave of anti-racism protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May.
He urged Americans to make their vote count in the upcoming presidential election, saying, “November is right around the corner and it’s a big moment for us as Americans. If we continue to talk about, ‘We want better, we want change’, we have an opportunity to do that.”
