President Donald Trump calls NBA players 'very nasty' and 'very dumb' for kneeling during anthem
Donald Trump says in interview NBA players kneeling during anthem "has been horrible for basketball," and calls players "very nasty" and "very dumb."
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President Donald Trump calls NBA players 'very nasty' and 'very dumb' for kneeling during anthem
Scott Gleeson
USA TODAY
President Donald Trump called NBA players "very nasty" and "very dumb" in a Tuesday radio interview while expressing his disapproval of the league's players kneeling during the national anthem to protest social injustice.
For the NBA's restarted season in Orlando, Florida, all but two players have knelt during the national anthem. Players have also worn jerseys with messages associated with the Black Lives Matter movement written on the back.
"The kneeling (during the national anthem) has been horrible for basketball," Trump said on Fox Sports' "Outkick the Coverage."
"They've had horrible ratings, low numbers. People are angry about it. They have enough politics with guys like me. There was a nastiness about the NBA the way (protesting) was done. The NBA is in trouble, bigger trouble than they understand."
Viewership for the first full week of bubble games near Orlando, Florida, where 22 teams tipped off a restarted season, was down 4% from the league’s pre-hiatus average. But it was 14% above the average after the first weekend -- according to Sports Media Watch.
In the interview Tuesday, host Clay Travis asked Trump whether he was aware some NBA players had criticized the president for his thoughts on their protests. Trump responded: "No, I haven't noticed them sending (criticism) back to me. I wouldn't be surprised. There are some very, very, very nasty, frankly very dumb (players). I haven't noticed that."
Trump's feud with NBA players has extended from the beginning stages of his presidency, when he uninvited the then-NBA champion Golden State Warriors from visiting the White House in 2017, prompting LeBron James to call Trump a "bum."
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James recently laughed off Trump's criticism of NBA players kneeling when Trump tabbed it "disgraceful," saying last week: "I really don't think the basketball community (is) sad about losing (Trump's) viewership."
James has been outspoken about the Black Lives Matter movement and used his platform to express his political and social views regularly.
At the end of the interview on Tuesday, Travis asked Trump whom he would pick — James or Michael Jordan, as the greatest basketball player of all time. Trump didn't hesitate.
"Michael Jordan," Trump answered. "I've seem them both. Michael is, plus he wasn't political, so people like him better."
