Lebron James, the NBA superstar and three-time champion, is no stranger to political discussions. | Jason Miller/Getty Images LeBron James: I don't regret calling Trump a 'bum'

NBA superstar LeBron James said Monday that he does not regret calling President Donald Trump a “bum” and that the president “doesn't understand the power that he has.”

Trump took his populist brand of conservatism into the sports world over the weekend, launching a days-long campaign against football players who kneel in protest during the national anthem and against the NFL for allowing it.


The president did not spare the NBA either, rescinding an invitation to star guard Steph Curry from accompanying his team, the Golden State Warriors on a customary White House meeting for NBA champions, though Curry had already indicated he was not inclined to make the visit.

“He doesn't understand the power that he has for being a leader of this beautiful country. He doesn't understand how many kids, no matter the race, look up to the president of the United States for guidance, for leadership, for words of encouragement. He doesn't understand that.”

James continued: “What makes me more sick than anything. We are at a time where the most powerful position in the world has an opportunity to bring us closer together as a people and inspire the youth and put the youth at ease on saying that it is OK for me to walk down the street and not be judged because of the color of my skin or because of my race. ... And he doesn't even care. Maybe he does. But he doesn't care.”

James said he found it funny that Trump rescinded the White House invitation to Curry, and later the Warriors, since Curry had already decided not to go and the team indicated it was not likely to visit. James said “bum,” a label he pinned to the president via Twitter, is an insult he and his friends throw around regularly. “I'm not his friend, though. I don't want to see that on a note,” James quickly added.

The superstar and three-time champion is no stranger to political discussions, having spoken out at the 2016 ESPY Awards along with other NBA stars, calling on athletes to speak out on issues of racial injustice and gun violence. James also wore an “I can’t breathe” T-shirt during warmups before a 2014 game, protesting the circumstances of the death of Eric Garner, who was killed by a New York Police Department officer who had him in a chokehold.

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James recommitted himself in his Monday remarks to using his platform to speak out on issues beyond sports. He called on others to do the same, “no matter if you voted for him or not — you may have made a mistake, and that’s OK if you voted for him. It’s OK. I mean, I’ve done things for my kids and realized I shouldn’t have gave my daughter that many damn Skittles. Maybe I shouldn’t have done that.”

“We know this is the greatest country in the world. It’s the land of the free, but we still have problems just like everybody else. And when we have those problems, we have to figure out a way how we come together and be as great as we can be as a people, because the people run this country, not one individual and damn sure not him,” James said. “So as I’ve got this platform and as I have a way to inspire and I have a way for my word to be bond, I will lend my voice, I will lend my passion, I will lend my money.”