Donald Trump was asked one of basketball’s oldest questions. His answer quickly moved far beyond basketball. When a reporter invited the US president to choose between Michael Jordan and LeBron James as the greatest player of all time, Trump backed the man he described as a personal friend before making an unsubstantiated suggestion about the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
“I think LeBron is, maybe he’s a racist,” Trump said during the Oval Office appearance on July 24. Footage published by the White House shows that the president offered no example or evidence to support the remark. He instead appeared to connect his opinion of James directly to the player’s longstanding political opposition to him.
Trump turns the GOAT debate into a loyalty test
The exchange began when Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy mentioned James’ decision to join the Philadelphia 76ers and asked Trump whether he considered Jordan or James the greatest basketball player ever. Trump explained that Jordan was his friend and that they had played golf together, but he did not compare their championships, individual awards, statistics or influence on the game.
Trump then questioned whether James was racist or simply disliked him. He concluded his answer by saying: “I only like people that like me.” The full exchange was subsequently reported by Reuters, which noted that James had supported the Democratic candidates who opposed Trump in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections.
Read also: Audi appeal Tsunoda's Monza result: the Italian GP is not over yet
There is nothing unusual about choosing Jordan in the greatest-of-all-time debate. The Chicago Bulls icon won six championships, six Finals MVP awards and five regular-season MVP awards. James has won four championships and four MVP awards, while building his own argument through unprecedented longevity, ten NBA Finals appearances and his status as the highest-scoring player in league history. What made Trump’s answer unusual was that none of those basketball achievements appeared to influence it.
The attack came as LeBron began his final pursuit
Trump delivered the remark only hours after James announced one of the biggest decisions of his career. After considering retirement and confirming that his time with the Los Angeles Lakers was over, the 41-year-old chose to join the Philadelphia 76ers for what will be his record-extending 24th NBA season.
According to the NBA’s official announcement, the move became official on July 26. James said he had believed his career might be over when the previous season ended, but eventually decided that he remained prepared to work, sacrifice and compete for another title. “I still truly love this game, and I have more to give,” he explained.
James will join a Philadelphia roster featuring Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown. The 76ers have not won an NBA championship since 1983 and have not reached the Finals since 2001, giving James an opportunity to complete his career by ending another lengthy title drought. He previously brought Cleveland its first major professional sports championship in 52 years when the Cavaliers won the NBA title in 2016.
Their conflict stretches back almost a decade
The latest attack did not emerge from an isolated disagreement. James has repeatedly criticised Trump and rejected the traditional expectation that athletes should avoid politics. Their conflict became particularly visible in September 2017, when Trump withdrew Stephen Curry’s invitation to visit the White House after the Golden State Warriors star indicated that he did not want to attend.
James responded by calling Trump a “bum” and arguing that visiting the White House had been considered an honour until Trump became president. CBS News documented the exchange, which came during a wider dispute between the president and athletes protesting racial inequality and police brutality.
The relationship deteriorated further in 2018 after James told CNN that Trump was using sport to divide the United States. Trump responded by insulting the intelligence of both James and interviewer Don Lemon, finishing his message with the words “I like Mike,” an apparent reference to Jordan and the continuing debate over basketball’s greatest player.
That attempt to place Jordan on Trump’s side did not produce the response the president might have expected. As CBS and the Associated Press reported, Jordan publicly backed his fellow NBA icon: “I support LJ. He’s doing an amazing job for his community.” Jordan has not issued a widely reported response to Trump’s latest use of his name in the rivalry.
Read also: Manchester United open club-to-club talks with Dortmund over £86m Nmecha
The racism remark reverses LeBron’s own criticism
Trump’s suggestion carries another layer because James has previously accused the president of contributing to racial division. Before the 2024 election, James endorsed Kamala Harris and shared a campaign video that presented a collection of Trump’s comments alongside images of civil rights protests and racial unrest.
In his message, James said that the future facing his children and family made the choice clear. The endorsement, described by People, attracted millions of views and placed one of America’s most influential athletes firmly against Trump for a third consecutive presidential campaign.
Trump did not explain whether that episode influenced his latest accusation. He only suggested that James might be racist before immediately offering the alternative explanation that the NBA star simply does not like him. That wording left the accusation unsupported while still ensuring it became the central headline from an otherwise unrelated White House appearance.
Stephen A. Smith delivered an unexpected defence
One of the strongest responses came from ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith, whose own relationship with James has become increasingly hostile. Smith has repeatedly criticised James and his son Bronny, while James confronted the television host courtside during a Lakers game in 2025. Smith has since openly acknowledged that the two men do not like each other.
Read also: McIlroy leads a stacked Doonbeg field as Trump plans a final-round visit to his own resort
Despite that history, Smith defended James and described Trump’s accusation as “really, really disgusting.” According to The Hill’s account of Smith’s response, the ESPN host argued that the president’s language was divisive and needed to be challenged regardless of his own personal disagreements with James.
That reaction was significant precisely because it did not come from one of James’ natural allies. Smith has built a considerable part of his platform around confrontational debates and has never been reluctant to criticise the four-time NBA champion. Trump’s remark nevertheless crossed a line that Smith believed had nothing to do with legitimate scrutiny of James as a player or public figure.
LeBron’s latest response has come on the court
James has not delivered a widely reported direct response to Trump’s latest comment. His public focus has instead remained on preparing for the new season and building chemistry with a dramatically reshaped Philadelphia team. That silence has prevented the controversy from developing into another direct exchange between the two men.
The latest images emerged on September 4, when James was shown working out alongside Maxey and Brown. As described by Bleacher Report, the footage featured Philadelphia’s three stars practising together ahead of their first season as teammates.
Read also: Contador tips Mas for Vuelta glory: 'The hardest part is already behind Movistar'
It should not be presented as an explicit response to Trump because James has made no such claim. Nevertheless, the contrast is striking. While the president turned James’ name into another political controversy, the player has concentrated publicly on a final attempt to win a fifth championship and prove that he can still influence the NBA at the age of 41.
Trump’s latest sports intervention sharpens the contrast
Trump’s more recent comments about another sporting icon have added to the impression that personal relationships influence his public assessments of athletes. On September 2, the president spoke warmly about Tiger Woods after the golfer entered a no-contest plea in a Florida reckless-driving case and received a five-year driving ban.
“I know Tiger very well. He’s a great guy,” Trump said, while describing the resolution as “very fair.” The comments, quoted by the New York Post, were accompanied by sympathy for Woods’ physical problems and advice that the golfer should use a driver in the future.
Woods is a longtime acquaintance of Trump and is in a relationship with Vanessa Trump, the president’s former daughter-in-law. That does not make the circumstances directly comparable to the LeBron dispute, but the difference in tone is difficult to miss. One sporting icon received sympathy and praise from a president who knows him personally. Another was subjected to an unsupported accusation after years of political opposition.
The basketball question Trump never answered
The Jordan-LeBron debate has survived for years because there is no universally accepted way to settle it. Jordan’s perfect 6–0 record in the NBA Finals and unmatched peak with the Bulls remain at the centre of his case. James’ supporters point to his scoring record, longevity, versatility and ability to lead three different franchises to championships.
Trump chose Jordan, but he never truly entered that debate. His explanation rested on friendship, golf and whether the two players liked him. The answer therefore revealed considerably more about Trump’s view of personal loyalty than it did about his understanding of basketball history.
There is also an unresolved irony in using Jordan as part of an attack on James. When Trump previously attempted the same comparison in 2018, Jordan publicly sided with LeBron. Unless Jordan chooses to respond differently this time, the player presented as Trump’s preferred sporting ally has already made his position clear once before.
James, meanwhile, is preparing for what he has described as the final major decision of his playing career. His new teammates are already working beside him, Philadelphia is preparing for a championship pursuit and the NBA’s oldest active player is moving toward another historic season. Trump’s accusation remains unanswered, but it also remains unsupported.
