Published 10:51 IST, September 2nd 2020
Josh Hart calls Donald Trump dumba** over negative comments about the NBA
New Orleans Pelicans forward Josh Hart slammed Donald Trump on Twitter by referring to him as dumb for his negative comments about the NBA.
Since the NBA restart in July, President Donald Trump has been vocal about his criticism of the NBA's decision to support the Black Lives Matters movement while protesting peacefully during their stay at the bubble in Orlando. While Trump has frequently called out the players during interviews, he recently tweeted about the NBA and their low ratings this season. New Orleans Pelicans forward Josh Hart was one of the few people who quoted Trump's tweet, referring to the president as a "dumbass".
Pelicans star Josh Hart calls Donald Trump a "dumbass"
What a dumbass. https://t.co/XoSQrMrAkz
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) September 1, 2020
"People are tired of watching the highly political @NBA. Basketball ratings are WAY down, and they won’t be coming back," Trump wrote in his tweet. He warned baseball and football of the same, before asking everyone to stand tall of their country and flag. Earlier, Trump had stated that the NBA players' decision to kneel during the national anthem was disrespectful. "What a dumbass," Hart wrote in response.
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Donald Trump on NBA
President Trump calls NBA players "disgraceful" for kneeling during anthem, implies that he's done more for the black community than Abraham Lincoln pic.twitter.com/C5YJW3pAps
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) August 5, 2020
Trump's tweet comes after the NBA's decision to postpone playoffs games after the Milwaukee Bucks boycott triggered by the brutal shooting of Jacob Blake. Blake, 29, was shot by police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin. While he survived the shooting, he might be paralysed for life. The incident drew people to the streets in protest once again, demanding justice. Bucks, who are a Wisconsin-based team, decided to boycott their game against the Orlando Magic in protest, unable to concentrate on basketball due to unrest in Wisconsin.
Last week, Trump had spoken about how the NBA is going to end up destroying basketball. "I think what they're doing to the NBA in particular is gonna destroy basketball," Trump told Air Force One reporters. He later added that their political stand will be "threatening" to the league. “It’s very bad for the NBA, and it’s gonna prove to be very bad for football," he added.
Trump has even referred to the NBA as a "political organization" after their decision to boycott games. After the players kneeled in July, Trump had referred to players as "very dumb" and "very nasty", while pointing out the league's low ratings. In response to Trump's comments, NBA icon LeBron James had spoken about players not being bothered by Trump not watching NBA games anymore.
LeBron James on Trump comments on the NBA
LeBron James on Donald Trump saying he won’t watch any more NBA games because people have kneeled to protest systemic racism during the national anthem: “I really don’t think the basketball community are sad about losing his viewership.” pic.twitter.com/l9sP7LiFsi
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) August 6, 2020
After much debate, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) released a statement about the league resuming. To emphasis on their support for BLM and social justice, they agreed to use their platform for social change. As of now, arebas will be used as voting places for the upcoming elections in November.
Also read | Donald Trump predicts ongoing 'political' NBA protests would 'destroy' basketball: Donald Trump on NBA
(Image credits: Josh Hart Instagram, AP)
Updated 10:59 IST, September 2nd 2020