Published 12:17 IST, August 6th 2020
LeBron James claims players unbothered over Donald Trump's decision to avoid watching NBA
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James said that no NBA player is bothered by US President Donald Trump's decision to not watch NBA games anymore.
US President Donald Trump has been vocal about not supporting athletes who kneel during the national anthem during a game. During a recent interview with Fox News, he reiterated his views on the matter, stating that it was "disgraceful" that NBA players were choosing to kneel. In response to those comments, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James said that no NBA player is bothered by Trump's decision to not watch the NBA anymore.
Donald Trump's views on NBA players kneeling during the national anthem
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 referred to the players' actions as "disgraceful", saying that they work with the NBA and it is not "acceptable" to him that they choose to kneel. He added that when he sees the players kneel, he turns off the game since he is no longer interested. He proceeded to talk more about the black community and claimed he has done a lot for the community. “When I see people kneeling during the playing and disrespecting our flag and disrespecting our national anthem, what I do, personally, is turn off the game. And the ratings for the basketball are way down if you know," Trump stated. He added that he is okay with losing the election if he is wrong, but he will always stand for the country and its flag.
LeBron on Trump and his decision to not watch NBA games
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
Following the Lakers' 105-86 loss over the Oklahoma City Thunder, LeBron James spoke to reporters about Trump's comments. He asked them if they were trying to make him laugh and said that players are not sad over his decision. “I really don’t think the basketball community are sad about losing his viewership, him viewing the game. And that’s all I got to say.”
When asked on his views regarding Trump's comments about the NBA ratings, James spoke about the NBA having fans from all around the world who they try to give back to. James explained that they are trying to give back to the game and the people by acknowledging what's right and wrong. "And I hope everyone, no matter the race, no matter the colour, no matter the size, will see what leadership that we have at the top in our country and understand that November is right around the corner and it’s a big moment for us as Americans," James explained.
NBA ratings see a healthy spike
As per reports, the ratings have spiked since the season's restart. TNT's ratings doubled during the NBA's opening night doubleheader. However, reports also point out that the overall ratings may have reduced due to the athletes supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. After players, coaches, other staff members and officials took a knee during the national anthem prior to the games, fans took to social media to express their anger over the situation. Many asked to boycott the NBA and MLB as they found the kneeling disrespectful and also promoting a 'political agenda', asking the leagues to stick to the game only.
The LA Lakers-LA Clippers game garnered a 3.4 million audience, while the New Orleans Pelicans-Utah Jazz game brought in viewership of 2.1 million. However, the following Boston Celtics-Milwaukee Bucks game brought in only 1.3 million viewers. While the numbers are higher than what they have been, they are lower than what was predicted.
(Image source: AP)
Updated 13:56 IST, August 6th 2020