LeBron James and some of his Cleveland Cavaliers teammates held a so-called "modest political protest" against then-president-elect Donald Trump before their game against the New York Knicks.
In December 2016, the Cavaliers won convincingly with a score of 126-94 against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
James scored an impressive 25 points, while Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love also surpassed the 20-point mark.
It was a great performance by the Cavs, who ended the Knicks' four-game winning streak, thanks in part to the brilliance of their power forward.
But more than the score itself, one of the main topics of discussion was James' pre-game behavior. For the first time in his career, LeBron decided not to stay at the team's designated hotel, which happened to be the Trump SoHo Hotel.
In fact, some of James' teammates joined him at another hotel in Manhattan, and according to a New York Times report, it was described as a "modest political protest."
After choosing not to stay at the team's main hotel, James insisted it was his "personal preference" to find another place to spend the night.
“At the end of the day, I hope he’s one of the best presidents ever for the good of everyone — for my family, for all of us,” James said of Trump. “But it’s just my personal preference. It would be like going to a restaurant and deciding to have chicken instead of steak.”
James had supported Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign and had made a public appearance with her shortly before the election.
"We must confront the violence, in every form, that the African-American community is experiencing on our streets and watching on television screens," James said at the time.
“I believe that rebuilding our communities by focusing on children at risk is an essential part of the solution. However, I am not a politician, I do not know all the things that are needed to finally stop the violence. But I do know that we need a president who brings us together and keeps us unified.”
LeBron James and Hillary Clinton arrive at a rally at the Cleveland Public Auditorium in November 2016.
Nearly four years later, in 2020, James said the NBA was “not at all concerned” about Trump’s loss of viewership, after the US president said he turned off games when he saw players kneel during the national anthem. “I honestly don’t think the basketball community is upset about his loss of viewership, the fact that he’s not watching the game anymore,” James said after the Lakers’ 105-86 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. “And that’s all I have to say.”/Express newspaper/
edition
t7 live
