LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers star and one of the world’s most recognizable athletes, on Thursday became the latest celebrity (and certainly one of the tallest) to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris, saying: “When I think about my kids and my family and how they will grow up, the choice is clear to me.”
It was little surprise. The 6-foot-9 Mr. James has campaigned for Democrats in the past and has spoken out against former President Donald J. Trump.
Mr. James also posted a video that spliced together civil rights protests and abuses from several decades with comments by Mr. Trump and footage from the former president’s recent rally at Madison Square Garden. The video made the argument that Mr. Trump is racist and ended with the written quote: “Hate takes us back.”
Mr. James greeted Ms. Harris over the summer when the United States men’s basketball team was in Las Vegas preparing for the Summer Olympics in Paris, where the Americans won the gold medal. Steve Kerr, the Olympic team’s coach and the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, spoke days later at the Democratic National Convention.
Mr. James’s Democratic leanings are longstanding. In 2008, he hosted a free concert by Jay-Z in Cleveland in support of Barack Obama’s successful bid for the presidency. He campaigned for Hillary Clinton in 2016, introducing her at a rally in Ohio, and wrote an opinion essay supporting her campaign.
He made his opinion of Mr. Trump clear in 2017, when he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Stephen Curry’s Warriors defeated his team in the N.B.A. finals.
Presidents traditionally invite championship-winning teams to the White House to celebrate their victories, but Mr. Curry said he would skip because of his distaste for Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump fired back by saying the invitation had been “withdrawn.”
Mr. James’s response went viral. “U bum @StephenCurry30 already said he ain’t going!” he wrote. “So therefore ain’t no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!”
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