Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James endorsed Kamala Harris for president on Thursday on his X account. James posted a video that included clips of Donald Trump talking and concluded with the quote “Hate takes us back.”
The video was posted alongside 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!!!”
James originally planned to endorse Harris for president on Wednesday when the Lakers played the Cleveland Cavaliers, but decided not to take away from his homecoming to Ohio. He instead shared his endorsement of Harris on Thursday, and elaborated on his reasoning after the Lakers’ win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday.
“Well I was gonna go it the day of the game in Cleveland but I didn’t want to overshadow the whole hoopla of me and Bronny going back home,” James told reporters. “That’s when I planned on doing it … I wanted to make sure it was seen, heard, and heard with force. I have a daughter, a wife, mother, things of that nature that she believes in when it comes to women’s rights 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 has become more outspoken politically since a reporter Laura Ingraham told him to “shut up and dribble” back in 2018. The comments from Ingraham came amid an ongoing debate of whether or not athletes should stick to sports, a debate that became amplified after former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee to protest police violence.
Even before the comments from Ingraham, James did previously speak in favor of democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, and Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers are among the other NBA athletes and coaches who have expressed support for Harris.
