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Donald Trump just went after LeBron James in the wake of his controversial “You’re Next” post … calling the NBA star’s words “RACIST” and telling the hooper to stick to sports.
“LeBron James should focus on basketball rather than presiding over the destruction of the NBA, which has just recorded the lowest television RATINGS, by far, in the long and distinguished history of the League,” Trump said in a statement.
“His RACIST rants are divisive, nasty, insulting, and demeaning. He may be a great basketball player, but he is doing nothing to bring our Country together!”
LeBron tweeted — and later deleted — a photo of the cop who shot and killed 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant after responding to a violent altercation this week in Columbus, Ohio.
In his post, the Lakers star captioned the pic, “YOU’RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY” … implying the officer should be prosecuted in a similar fashion to Derek Chauvin.
The problem … some found the post to be threatening, with the National Fraternal Order of Police — the biggest police union in the country — calling it “disgraceful and extremely reckless.”
U.S. Senator Tom Cotton from Arkansas added, “LeBron James is inciting violence against an Ohio police officer. This is disgraceful and dangerous.”
Trump clearly felt similarly, releasing his scathing statement through his office Thursday night.
James eventually offered an explanation for the post after the backlash, writing in a statement of his own, “I’m so damn tired of seeing Black people killed by police. I took the tweet down because it’s being used to create more hate.”
“This isn’t about one officer,” LeBron continued. “It’s about the entire system and they always use our words to create more racism. I am so desperate for more ACCOUNTABILITY.”
James has been vocal about social injustices and police brutality throughout this NBA career … leading kneeling demonstrations during the NBA bubble last summer and often providing impassioned post-game and pregame speeches to media about equality.
The 36-year-old has not played in an NBA game since March 20 while battling an ankle injury.