Trump Slams LeBron James, NBA At Election Rally; Supporters Chant LBJ 'Sucks'
KEY POINTS
- Trump slammed LeBron James, and the NBA's declining television ratings
- The president blasted NFL players for participating in silent protests
- James has worked to increase voter turnout and fight voter suppression this election
President Donald Trump on Monday slammed Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and the National Basketball Association during his rally in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania.
In a last pitch to voters in the critical swing state, Trump segued to sports and spoke about NBA's television ratings, which has seen a decline recently when compared to previous years. He also blasted James, who is known for sharing his political views and calling out the president multiple times this year, The Hill reported.
"How about basketball? How about LeBron? I felt badly for LeBron, very badly. Down 71% and that's with the championship. I didn't watch one shot. I get bored. Back, forth, back, forth," Trump said.
"You know why? When they don't respect our country, when they don't respect our flag, nobody wants to watch," he added.
Trump called out the NBA after it allowed players to wear jerseys that had slogans supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. He also slammed the National Football League following the silent protests of players who have knelt during the national anthem, USA Today reported.
"And the NFL is down. The NFL is way down. You gotta stand for our flag. You gotta really be great to our flag and to our anthem and if you don't do that, we're not watching," Trump said.
"LeBron James sucks!" chants at the Trump rally pic.twitter.com/XbSZrhn961
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 2, 2020
His remarks led to the crowd chanting, "LeBron James sucks," repeatedly. The crowd's chant amused President Trump, who responded by saying, "What a crowd!"
Larry Nance Jr., who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers, blasted Trump and his supporters on Twitter, and called the Pennsylvania rally a "clown convention."
Clown convention https://t.co/gnzXSUvPhZ
— Larry Nance Jr (@Larrydn22) November 2, 2020
While James has yet to endorse either Trump or Democratic challenger Joe Biden, he has publicly criticized the president. In 2017, the president slammed Warriors guard Steph Curry over declining a trip to the White House after the team won the NBA Finals. This prompted James to call Trump a "bum" in a tweet.
James has pledged to increase voter turnout and fight voter suppression through the "More Than a Vote" organization. Donations from him and other big names have fueled the restoration of voting rights to nearly 13,000 felons.
![LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers wears a VOTE shirt during a pre-game warm-up period in the NBA Finals](https://d.ibtimes.com/en/full/3060702/lebron-james-los-angeles-lakers-wears-vote-shirt-during-pre-game-warm-period-nba-finals.jpg?w=603&f=6debeaa5f624ad3299638ba072ecbb85)
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