President Donald Trump picked Michael Jordan over LeBron James on Friday when asked to weigh in on the debate over the greatest player in NBA history.
Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy raised the question after James agreed to a two-year, $8 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.
Trump cited his relationship with Jordan and his contentious history with James while explaining his choice.
“Michael Jordan is a guy that’s a friend of mine. I play golf with him. He’s a really good guy,” Trump said. “I think LeBron is maybe he’s a racist, but maybe he doesn’t like Trump. I don’t know. I only like people that like me, so I would say Michael Jordan all the way.”
Trump did not compare the players’ basketball accomplishments.
Jordan won six NBA championships and five Most Valuable Player awards during his career. James has won four championships and four MVP awards and is the league’s career scoring leader. His move to Philadelphia will extend his career to a record 24th season.
Trump and James have publicly criticized each other for nearly a decade.
James endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election and later criticized Trump’s handling of issues involving athletes and professional sports. In 2017, James again questioned Trump after the president withdrew a White House invitation to the champion Golden State Warriors amid Steph Curry’s reluctance to attend.
Their dispute escalated in 2018 after James said during an interview with CNN’s Don Lemon that Trump was using sports to divide the country. Trump responded on social media by insulting James and Lemon before writing, “I like Mike.”
Jordan defended James afterward, saying he supported the NBA star’s work in his community.
Trump also chose Jordan when asked about the debate in 2020. At the time, he said Jordan’s limited public involvement in politics made him more popular.
Trump reached the same conclusion Friday.
