"Me and my wife don't go to bed until 4 o'clock": When LeBron James once expressed concern after Donald Trump's 2016 victory
Sports and politics are inextricably intertwined and the well-documented animosity between LeBron James and Donald Trump is one such example. James, arguably one of the most influential athletes in the United States, had expressed concern when Trump was first elected president in 2016.
That year also holds a special place in LeBron James’ career, both on and off the court. It was the year James started to use his stardom to address social and political issues, such as participating in a pre-ESPY statement alongside Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade.
At the time, LeBron James had led Cleveland to its first NBA title and was a strong supporter of Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. He also campaigned for Clinton at a rally in Cleveland to encourage Ohioans to vote for her.
When the results came in, James expressed his shock that Trump had won against Clinton. This was difficult to digest from his point of view, particularly in his home state of Ohio, where only 44 percent of voters backed Clinton despite his endorsement.
“It was difficult watching it. Me and my wife didn’t go to bed until 4 o’clock in the morning,” James said. “It was very difficult seeing what happened not only in our state, but in our country. Like I said, it is what it is. That’s in the past. We need to live in the present and make our future better.”
It’s also worth noting that he supported Joe Biden in the last election and Barack Obama in 2008 by hosting a concert to encourage voter turnout.
LeBron James also once called Donald Trump a “bum” and told him that the tradition of championship teams visiting the White House “was a great honor until you showed up!”
LeBron James continues the trend, this time endorsing Kamala Harris
As expected, LeBron James left no doubt he supports Kamala Harris and the Democrats in next week’s election, posting a clip with a message on X, formerly known as Twitter.
He captioned the post:
“What are we even talking about here??, When I think about my kids and my family and how they will grow up, the choice is clear to me. VOTE KAMALA HARRIS!!!"
The video included clips of Donald Trump discussing illegal immigration, as well as excerpts from Tony Hinchcliffe’s racist remark at a Trump rally.
The Lakers star has a huge fan base among voters and has the largest social media following among NBA players, with a combined total of 212 million followers across his @KingJames accounts on Instagram and X.
In a race that could be decided by narrow margins, his endorsement could impact the momentum leading up to the election.