LeBron James signed with the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, and Donald Trump couldn’t even let him have that.

Hours after the four-time NBA champion announced his move to Philly, Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked Trump to weigh in on the LeBron vs. Michael Jordan GOAT debate in the Oval Office.

Trump didn’t mention rings, points, assists, or any basketball at all. He went straight to personal, saying, “Well, Michael Jordan’s a guy that’s a friend of mine. Play golf with him. He’s a really good guy.”

Then he added, “I think LeBron is, maybe he’s a racist, but maybe he doesn’t like Trump. I don’t know. But I only like people that like me. So I’d say Michael Jordan all the way.”

The logic being laid out by the sitting President of the United States is that LeBron James could be a racist because he doesn’t like Donald Trump. That’s it. That’s the reasoning. Per TMZ, Trump offered nothing more to back up the claim.

The feud between these two goes back nearly a decade. In 2017, LeBron called Trump a “bum” on social media after Trump pulled the White House invitation from the Golden State Warriors following Stephen Curry’s reluctance to attend.

A year later, Trump attacked LeBron’s intelligence on Twitter after an interview with CNN’s Don Lemon, and Michael Jordan actually pushed back in LeBron’s defense.

LeBron responded to the ongoing attacks during that same period by saying Trump “has given racism an opportunity to be out and outspoken without fear,” and made clear he’d never sit across from him.

The two traded public shots throughout Trump’s first term, and LeBron endorsed Joe Biden in 2020 and Kamala Harris in 2024.

LeBron’s 76ers signing is a two-year veteran minimum deal that James himself called “my last decision,” framing it as a final shot at another championship rather than a business move.

He’s 41 years old and joining a roster built around Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid, with Jaylen Brown also in the fold after a blockbuster trade from Boston. The basketball world was locked in on that story, and Trump still found a way to make it about himself.

Critics across the country quickly pointed out the irony of Trump’s word choice, given his own documented history of statements that drew charges of racial insensitivity going back years, including the birther campaign against Barack Obama and comments about immigration.

LeBron has not publicly responded to the comment as of Friday night.