NBA icon LeBron James took a different approach to San Francisco 49ers star Nick Bosa’s presidential endorsement as the Lakers legend explained his Kamala Harris comments
LeBron James doubled down on his Kamala Harris comments (Image: @mcten)
LeBron James opted to take a different approach to Nick Bosa with his endorsement of his choice for president.
The NBA legend has endorsed Democrat candidate Kamala Harris and doubled down on his reasons for doing so in a recent interview. Following the Los Angeles Lakers win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday, James was asked about his Thursday social media post expressing his intent to vote for Harris over former president Donald Trump.
“I wanted to make sure it was seen, heard, and heard with force,” James said about his decision to share the video on social media. He then explained his reasons behind his vote going to Harris. “So having a daughter, having a wife, mother, things of that nature that she believes in when it comes to women’s rights,” James said.
“And when it comes to the future of my kids and where I see where our country should be, I feel like that endorsement is only right. ’And come on, I mean, you guys know me. I damn sure wasn’t going the other way,” James concluded in his locker room interview.
The Lakers star’s public endorsement was a complete contrast to San Francisco 49ers defensive end Bosa, who wore a MAGA hat in support of Trump during a televised postgame interview following the Niners victory against the Dallas Cowboys. Bosa was then asked afterwards to explain his endorsement, but refused to elaborate further than simply wearing the hat.
According to CBS Sports, Bosa will not be suspended despite his violation of league policy but he could face a major fine. However, a final decision regarding his punishment is not expected until after the election next week.
James’ video he uploaded was over a minute long and included several out-of-context soundbites from Trump, headlines accusing Trump of promoting “racist” and “Nazi” rhetorics while showing black and white clips appearing to show African-Americans being assaulted. He added the caption: 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 was slammed for its out-of-context nature, including by Trump supporter and right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, who wrote: “Lebron James, who will never be as good as Jordan, just took a bunch of Trump soundbites, stitched them together completely out of context, then layered them over racially charged images that have literally nothing to do with Trump, and then posted the whole thing on IG.”
Reflecting on the timing of his video, James stated, “Yesterday (Thursday) felt like the right moment, everything seemed a bit quieter. I wanted to ensure my message was not just seen, but heard with conviction.”