LeBron is the Racist, But Not for the Reason Given by Donald Trump
- Fred
- Jul 25
- 5 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Earlier this week, Donald Trump, in yet another stream-of-conscious moment, blurted out that LeBron James was "maybe a racist."
What was Trump's context for such a strong statement?
From the BBC: "When asked whether Jordan or James was the "best ever", Trump said: "Michael Jordan is a guy that's a friend of mine. I play golf with him. He's a really good guy. I think LeBron is, maybe he's a racist, but maybe he doesn't like Trump. I don't know. I only like people that like me, so I would say Michael Jordan all the way."
Uh....WHAT???
When I was growing up, the 2 boys next door, the Mynes Brothers, lived and breathed basketball, but they were walking contradictions. At heart, they were Rednecks with a lineage back to the Mountains of West Virginia, but when it came to basketball, all they talked about was fundamentals, while employing some of the dirtiest tricks in the basketball playbook.
The Mynes' were the tallest kids in the neighborhood, but small by basketball standards, both stood around 6'4". Their favorite player was Hall-of-Famer Larry Bird. They spoke of his fundamentals and his "tenacity." I never understood how you could be fundamentally sound and dirty at the same time.
By the time Kobe Bryant came into the league, the Mynes' lamented the rise of "Streetball" in the NBA.
Now if you pull any college basketball coach aside, today, they will tell you, off the record, that the fundamentals in the NBA are atrocious. College is where you can actually teach the game of basketball.
What does all of this have to do with LeBron James? When James came into the league, sans college, the pros drooled over his size and athleticism. His skills were touted, as was his basketball IQ, but he did not have the extra layer of coaching that built the team concept that college provides.
As LeBron won 2 Championships with the Miami Heat, the Cleveland Cavaliers floundered. The Cavs had a bunch of young players, but not enough talent. In 2014, the Cavs hired David Blatt to coach their team to build a better unit. He had a list of credentials a mile long...but in Europe. A month after Blatt was hired, LeBron came back to the Cavs.
Their first year together, Blatt and James made it to the NBA Finals, losing to the Golden State Warriors 4-2.
But there were whispers in Cleveland that despite Blatt winning Championships in Italy, Israel, Russia, and the EuroLeague, he was out of his depth in America. Why? Because he coached in a "European" manner. (Team Basketball.) Despite having the best record half way through the NBA season in 2015, Blatt was fired. The GM at the time took the bullet for the decision, but make no mistake, Blatt was fired because LeBron James did not like his style of coaching.
Now you may argue that the move worked, Tyronn Lue led the Cavs to the NBA Championship that year.
I am telling you right now, Tyronn Lue was not a better basketball coach than David Blatt. Tyronn Lue managed personalities better, he coached based on what LeBron wanted.
What does all this have to do with racism?
At the end of the 2026 season, the Buss Family had sold the Lakers and LeBron James, despite making $50 million on the court, was not the centerpiece of the team. That honor went to Luka Doncic.
Luka Doncic...
From Slovenia....
In Europe.
As a matter of fact, when LeBron stepped away from the Lakers to make his new decision, these were the best remaining players on the Lakers:
Luka Doncic: 33.5 points per game
Austin Reaves "Hillbilly Kobe": 23.3 points per game
Deandre Ayton: 12.5 points per game (traded to Wizards)
Rui Hachimura: 11.5 points per game
LeBron had absolutely zero interest in playing for the Lakers with a White Coach from Duke, a White Superstar from Europe, a White Guard from Oklahoma, and a player from the Japanese National Team.
Everywhere LeBron has ever played, the team has rotated around him in the center. For this last decision, he picked a team of Black Stars. And don't get me wrong, on paper, the 76'ers look fantastic. But....
Last year the Cavs made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. The addition of LeBron, without losing any of their stars, would have made the Cavs a favorite to go to the NBA Finals next year from the East.
The Miami Heat added Giannis Antetokounmpo to an average Heat team. But the addition of Antetokounmpo AND James would have made the Heat a favorite to go to the NBA Finals next year from the East.
The 76'ers not only got LeBron, but they got him on a great monetary deal. James specifically lauded the opportunity to play with Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid.
Well if it was all about winning, and LeBron was making a billion dollars in endorsements and business ventures off the court, why didn't LeBron take less money a DECADE AGO? If LeBron played for $4 million a year and let his teams load up with other high priced players, I could argue that James would have had EIGHT Championships by now.
Why didn't James go to a team, like the Heat, with a future Hall of Fame Coach that he was familiar with AND a Hall of Fame Director of Operations that he was very familiar with?
Because LeBron James, even in his 40's, wants to play basketball his way. And he definitely has no interest in playing team ball like the Europeans.
Editor's Note: Hey, you're smart, you have figured out what European is code for, right?
I just thought of something. You know who would be a good coach for the 2026-2027 Lakers?
David Blatt.
Editor's Note II: If we feel this way about basketball, why do we even watch? We (mostly) do not like basketball. But for a month, because I live in Cleveland, we, as a community, have been inundated with "HE'S COMING HOME." Guess what, dummies? Y'all got played.
We have done 2 NBA articles in the last year vs. 20 Soccer articles. If we weren't inundated with LeBron Talk on local TV or radio, that basketball number would be ZERO.
You say I'm dead wrong and LeBron is a great guy and the Mynes' are the racists? Poor Chris Mynes died recently in a very violent car accident that wasn't his fault. I pray for his family whenever I think of him.
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