BS BRIEF:
- ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith sharply criticized President Donald Trump after Trump suggested NBA superstar LeBron James was “maybe a racist” during an Oval Office press conference. Smith, despite his years-long public feud with James, said the president’s comments were “really, really disgusting.”
- Trump made the remark after being asked to choose between Michael Jordan and LeBron James as the NBA’s greatest player. Trump praised Jordan, a longtime acquaintance, before adding that James “maybe… doesn’t like Trump.”
STEPHEN A. SMITH DEFENDS LEBRON AFTER TRUMP’S ‘RACIST’ REMARK SPARKS NEW FIRESTORM
WASHINGTON — It isn’t often that Stephen A. Smith comes rushing to LeBron James’ defense.
In fact, Smith has spent years criticizing the NBA superstar, publicly acknowledging that the two men simply don’t like one another.
So when Smith opened Monday’s YouTube show by defending James against President Donald Trump, it caught plenty of people by surprise.
The controversy began Friday during an Oval Office event when Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy asked Trump to settle one of basketball’s oldest debates: Michael Jordan or LeBron James?
Trump had no hesitation.
“Michael Jordan is a guy that’s a friend of mine. I play golf with him. He’s a really good guy.”
Then came the comment that immediately dominated sports and political headlines.
“I think LeBron is maybe a racist. But maybe he doesn’t like Trump. I don’t know. I only like people that like me.”
Smith wasted little time responding. Opening his program Monday, the ESPN personality said the president had crossed a line.
“Our president is trifling.”
Smith continued:
“When you’re calling LeBron James a racist… it’s really getting ridiculous.”
He became even more animated moments later.
“The divisiveness, the way that this man acts, the things that he says—it’s really, really disgusting.”
Smith said he intentionally waited several days before addressing Trump’s remarks but concluded he could no longer remain silent.
“We gotta call stuff out. We gotta call it out for what we see.”
He added:
“Even if it’s from our president… we have to.”
What made Smith’s comments especially notable is his own rocky relationship with James. The two famously confronted one another courtside during a Lakers game last year after Smith criticized Bronny James’ NBA development. Earlier this year, Smith acknowledged publicly:
“We don’t like each other. The world needs to know that.”
Despite that history, Smith argued personal disagreements shouldn’t prevent him from defending James when he believes criticism becomes unfair.
Trump and James have been political adversaries for nearly a decade. James has repeatedly endorsed Democratic presidential candidates, including Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, while frequently criticizing Trump on issues ranging from race to social justice. Trump, meanwhile, has periodically responded to James’ comments over the years, with the latest Oval Office exchange becoming the newest chapter in their long-running war of words.
Neither James nor his representatives had publicly responded to Smith’s comments as of Monday evening.
DBS WIRE SOURCES:
- Mediaite — Stephen A. Smith torches Trump for calling LeBron James a ‘racist’
- Reuters — President Trump says of LeBron James: ‘Maybe he’s a racist’
- The Washington Post — Trump suggests LeBron James is ‘a racist,’ says he prefers Michael Jordan
- The Guardian — Donald Trump says LeBron James is ‘maybe a racist’
