LeBron James hasn’t shied away from criticizing the president of the United States before and doesn’t seem compelled to stop anytime soon.
James said Donald Trump doesn’t “give a f–k about people,” in a video released Thursday by Uninterrupted, a multimedia platform site which counts him as a co-founder. The four-time NBA MVP went for a ride with fellow superstar Kevin Durant and ESPN anchor Cari Champion. It’s a video series called “Rollin’ with the Champion,” in which she acts as an Uber driver and talks with her passengers.
The video was shot Jan. 14 in Akron, Ohio, James’ hometown. Champion asked James about his famous “U bum” tweet, when he called out Trump in September after the president rescinded Stephen Curry’s invitation to the White House for a celebration of the NBA champion Warriors. Curry had previously said he would not attend to send a message about Trump and the “things that he’s said.”
“The climate is hot,” James said. “The No. 1 job in America, the appointed person is someone who doesn’t understand the people. And really don’t give a f–k about the people. When I was growing up, there was like three jobs that you looked [up to] for inspiration. It was the president of the United States, it was whoever was best in sports and it was the greatest musician. You never thought you could be them, but you can grab inspiration [from them].
“It’s not even a surprise when he says something. It’s like laughable. It’s laughable, and it’s scary.”
James expanded on his feelings about Trump days after the tweet in defense of Curry, saying he was mainly upset the president used a “sports platform to try and divide us” because sports typically have a unifying effect.
Durant similarly cited Trump’s divisive rhetoric and behavior when talking about his limitations as a leader.
“When we’re talking about leadership, and what’s going on in our country, it’s all about leadership,” Durant said. “And I learned that from basketball. I learned a lot of life skills from playing basketball. You need to empower people, you need to encourage people. And that’s what builds a great team. And I feel like our team as a country is not ran by a great coach.”
James was the 2016 NBA Finals MVP after his Cavaliers stunned the 73-win Warriors in seven games. Durant was the 2017 NBA Finals MVP after he joined the Warriors had helped them win the rubber match in a championship trilogy between the two teams.