Throughout his career , James has taken stances on controversial issues . On several occasions , he mentioned a feeling of obligation to affect change using his status . Those include the War in Darfur , the Trayvon Martin case , the now-former NBA owner Donald Sterling 's racist comments in 2014 , the Michael Brown verdict , and the death of Eric Garner . Following a racist incident at his Los Angeles home in 2017 , James expressed , " being black in America is tough . We got a long way to go for us as a society and for us as African Americans until we feel equal in America . " Later on that year , in the aftermath of the Unite the Right rally , James questioned the " Make America Great Again " slogan and said , " It 's sad what 's going on in Charlottesville . Is this the direction our country is heading ? Make America Great Again huh ? " He then said that " Our youth deserve better !! " James also called Trump a " bum " after the president rescinded a White House invitation to Stephen Curry . During a 2018 interview with CNN journalist Don Lemon , James accused Trump for attempting to divide the country with sports , suggesting that " sports has never been something that divides people it 's always been something that brings someone together . " He declared he would " never sit across from him . I 'd sit across from Barack though . " In response , Trump tweeted , " LeBron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television , Don Lemon . He made LeBron look smart , which is n't easy to do . " James has supported Colin Kaepernick in the aftermath of his participation in the national anthem protests , claiming that he was being " blackballed " from a new contract in the National Football League , and that he would hire him if he owned a football team . He has worn his clothing in a show of support several times
Trayvon Martin case
Shooting of Trayvon Martin
LeBron James