Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James doubled down on his critical tweet of President Donald Trump at the team’s media day on Monday.
James, who referred to Trump as a ‘bum,’ was asked by a reporter if he’d like to expand on his assessment of the President.
‘Me and my friends call each other that all the time,’ James said. ‘I’m not [Trump’s] friend though. I don’t want to see that. He’s not my friend.’
Three-time NBA champion LeBron James laughed while explaining that President Donald Trump is not his friend during the Cleveland Cavaliers media day on Monday
After waking up to see that Trump had disinvited Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry from the customary trip that all championship teams make to the White House, James blasted Trump with a tweet of his own on Sunday.
‘U bum @StephenCurry30 already said he ain’t going!’ wrote James. ‘So therefore ain’t no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!’
A laughing James continued to poke fun at the President on Monday.
‘I wasn’t coming anyways,’ said James. ‘That was funny to me when I woke up and saw that.’
LeBron James has a laugh during Cleveland Cavaliers media day as Kendrick Perkins looks on
James posted a video to social media on Saturday calling for national unity while explaining that he called President Donald Trump a ‘bum’ earlier in the day because the President was ‘using sports as a platform to divide us.’
‘I think it’s basically at a point where I’m a little frustrated because this guy that we’ve put in charge has tried to divide us once again,’ the Cavaliers star said, adding, ‘he is now using sports as the platform to try to divide us.’
Typically title-winning teams in each of the major American team sports visit the White House in the year following their championship. The Warriors, who beat James’ Cavaliers in the Finals for the second time in three years last June, had been publicly critical of Trump and were waiting to decide as a team if they’d keep with tradition and visit the White House.
Although it’s not clear if he was talking to Stephen Curry exclusively or the entire Warriors team, Trump declared on Saturday that the ‘invitation is withdrawn’
Despite losing two of three NBA Finals to Curry’s Warriors over the last three seasons, James rushed to his rivals defense over the weekend, calling Trump a ‘bum’
But before the team could officially make that decision, Curry was asked for his preference at Friday’s media day.
‘I don’t want to go,’ said Curry, echoing previous statements made by teammate and NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant.
President Trump tweeted Saturday morning: ‘Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team. Stephen Curry is hesitating, therefore invitation is withdrawn!’
According to Warriors coach Steve Kerr, the invitation was never actually extended in the first place.
Steph Curry (left) and Andre Iguodala (right) celebrate their second title in three years
On Saturday afternoon, the Golden State Warriors said they will visit the capital anyway, despite being uninvited to the White House.
‘While we intended to meet as a team at the first opportunity we had this morning to collaboratively discuss a potential visit to the White House, we accept that President Trump has made it clear that we are not invited,’ the statement read.
‘We believe there is nothing more American than our citizens having the right to express themselves freely on matters important to them. We’re disappointed that we did not have an opportunity during this process to share our views or have open dialogue on issues impacting our communities that we felt would be important to raise.
‘In lieu of a visit to the White House, we have decided that we’ll constructively use our trip to the nation’s capital in February to celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion – the values that we embrace as an organization.’
The Warriors did visit President Barack Obama at the White House after winning a title in 2015
James (pictured with President Obama in 2013) defended his arch rival Steph Curry
Donald Trump welcomed to the reigning champion Chicago Cubs to the White House in June
Not to be outdone, the White House confirmed a visit from the reigning Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins for sometime this season.
‘Please[d] to inform that the Champion Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL will be joining me at the White House for Ceremony. Great team!’ Trump tweeted out on Sunday afternoon.
Trump previously welcomed the reigning champions Chicago Cubs and New England Patriots to the White House.
James has made several visits to the White House after winning two titles in Miami and another in Cleveland back in 2016. The Warriors previously visited former President Barack Obama in the White House in 2015.