Professional athletes are destroying their brands by getting political.
LeBron James is a perfect example of this terrible trend.
And James got roasted in six words for what he said about America.
LeBron James said years ago that he wanted to be a “global icon.”
And he tried to accelerate his goal by stepping into the political arena.
After remaining largely silent about politics for the first 13 years of his career, James publicly endorsed Hillary Clinton and campaigned for her in 2016.
James’s calculated move came after watching Colin Kaepernick get hero worship from the international left for starting the anti-American anthem protest.
And the recent plight of WNBA star Brittney Griner gave James another reason to get political.
Griner is being held in a Russian prison for possession of drug paraphernalia at the airport.
Instead of blasting Russia, James—and other American leftists—bashed America.
During a promo for his show The Shop, James said, “She’s been there over 110 days…Now, how could she feel like America has her back? I would be feeling like, ‘Do I even want to go back to America?’”
LeBron James says if he were Brittney Griner, he would question if he even wanted to go back to America anymore. pic.twitter.com/LKtEwvyryr
— Ohio’s Tate (@BarstoolTate) July 12, 2022
James was instantly slammed for his disgraceful, anti-American comments.
He tried to walk them back by replying, “My comments on ‘The Shop’ regarding Brittney Griner wasn’t knocking our beautiful country. I was simply saying how she’s probably feeling emotionally along with so many other emotions, thoughts, etc inside that cage she’s been in for over 100+ days! Long story short #BringHerHome.”
James didn’t think America was “beautiful” when he said black people are being “hunted.”
One of the people who hammered him was NBA center Enes Kanter, who recently changed his name to Enes Kanter Freedom after being an American citizen.
The Turkish-born player wrote to James on Twitter, “You call it a step back, we call this a walk back. You are free to leave buddy or you can even volunteer for an exchange for her. Some people literally have NO idea what is it like to live in a dictatorship. Keep taking your freedom for granted.”
You call it a step back, we call this a walk back.
You are free to leave buddy or you can even volunteer for an exchange for her.
Some people literally have NO idea what is it like to live in a dictatorship.
Keep taking your freedom for granted. https://t.co/RG28O6co1E pic.twitter.com/QqpPuLrB72
— Enes FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) July 13, 2022
Kanter knows what he’s talking about on the issue.
His family was thrown in jail by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his comments criticizing the dictatorial regime.
James and other American athletes are being given kudos by the far-left media for bashing the country.
It’s not Russia’s fault for arresting Griner and jamming her up on a potentially bogus charge; it’s America’s fault.
In the eyes of the left, it’s always America’s fault.
However, Griner seems to have softened her stance on the country after once kneeling for the anthem.
She wrote from a Russian prison, “As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympics jersey, or any accomplishments , I’m terrified I might be here forever. On the 4th of July, our family normally honors the service of those who fought for our freedom, including my father who is a Vietnam War Veteran. It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me this year.”
As Kanter Freedom pointed out, pampered American athletes take American freedom for granted…until it’s gone.