LeBron James has already been critical of president Donald Trump this year, calling him out for his lackluster response to white supremacy in Charlottesville last month and the subsequent debate about the removal of Confederate statues in the south.
But now that the 45th president has waded into the sports world to call out Steph Curry for declining a potential visit to the white house, the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar has once again been critical of Trump.
James called the president a “bum” on Twitter hours after Trump himself called out Curry, saying the offer to attend the White House was withdrawn because Curry said he would decline the offer.
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
“U bum @StephenCurry30 already said he ain’t going!” James tweeted. “So therefore ain’t no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!”
James knows what it means when he calls out the president, but this is a different case. Trump is willingly throwing himself into the sports world here, lashing out at a sports world where many NBA players and coaches have been criticial of him in the past. Trump is escalating things here, and players are going to respond in kind.
It’s important to note that none of this is actually new. but the president finally commented on the Warriors and their potential trip to the White House to celebrate their NBA title this spring. Many members of the team commented about not wanting to go. The actual offer, and the chance to set things up, languished for months. So Trump’s “withdrawl” of the offer was ceremonial at best. In essence, he waited until it was clear the Warriors were not going to go so he could shun them and declare it a win. And players throughout the sports world seem pretty pissed about that
What’s funny about LeBron calling out Trump is, as ESPN reporter Ramona Shelbourne reminded us on Twitter, Trump used to be a big fan of LeBron.
Great shot by @KingJames yesterday. Lebron is a tough competitor who delivers under pressure.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 11, 2015
That might change now, and I’d expect a tweet about LeBron coming from the president posthaste.
