Donald Trump mocks LeBron James after LA Lakers finals ratings drop 70% amid BLM kneeling protests and anti-cop moans
DONALD Trump has mocked LeBron James after the NBA Finals ratings dropped amid Black Lives Matter kneeling protests.
Trump shared a picture of James and pointed to ratings for the NBA championship-deciding series between the LA Lakers and Miami Heat being down 70 per cent compared to last year's finals.
Trump wrote: "Maybe they were watching in China, but I doubt it. Zero interest!"
The US President has often criticised the NBA, saying the league and its players were too political.
In September, Trump tweeted: "People are tired of watching the highly-political NBA.
"Basketball ratings are WAY down, and they won’t be coming back. I hope football and baseball are watching and learning because the same thing will be happening to them. Stand tall for our Country and our Flag!"
And last week, Trump said this year's finals would be the first he hasn't watched "in years", while using the hashtag "#GoWokeGoBroke".
This year's NBA Finals were the lowest-rated in history, according to Nielsen Media Research, with 5.6million viewers watching game six when the Lakers clinched the title on Sunday.
Last year's game six between the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors drew 18.34 million viewers, meaning there was a decrease of 69.4 per cent.
Maybe they were watching in China, but I doubt it. Zero interest!
Donald Trump on this year's NBA Finals
This year's NBA Finals series was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Usually the finals are played in June, but health concerns meant this year's series was played in October with no in-game attendance in the "NBA bubble" in Orlando, Florida.
The delay meant this year's series was the first to go head-to-head with broadcasts of NFL games.
More than twice as many people watched the Sunday Night Football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Minnesota Vikings than watched the last game of the NBA Finals this year.
The NBA announced in June that it would paint the words Black Lives Matter on the court during games in light of the protests sparked by George Floyd's death in police custody.
Players were also allowed to include social justice slogans on the back of their jerseys.
In August, James hit back at Trump for criticizing his Black Lives Matter protests, and scoffed at the President's comments about "doing more for black people."
Trump called NBA players who were taking a knee in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement "disgraceful" while appearing on Fox News.
"When I see them kneeling, I just turn off the game," Trump said.
In response, James said he didn't think the NBA will miss Trump as a viewer.
"I really don't think the basketball community are sad about losing his viewership, him viewing the game," James said.
James, who has been extremely vocal in his support for BLM, was also asked about the President's comments that he has done more for the black community than any president since Abraham Lincoln.
"Trying to make me laugh right now? I appreciate that," James said.
In the same month, James claimed that the spate of shootings and killings of unarmed black people at the hands of police had left black people in America “scared”.
James said: “I know people get tired of hearing me say it but we are scared as black people in America.
“Black men, black women, black kids, we are terrified. Because you don't know, you have no idea.
“You have no idea how that cop that day left the house. You don't know if he woke up on the good side of the bed, you don't know if he woke up on the wrong side of the bed”.
James also accused cops of using heavy-handed tactics during the shooting of Jacob Blake in August.
Blake was shot seven times in the back by a white cop as he entered his car in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
James said: “If you're sitting here telling me that there was no way to subdue that gentleman, or detain him, or before the firing of guns, then you're sitting here, you're lying to not only me, you're lying to every African American, every black person in the community because we see it over and over and over.
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"If you watch the video, there (were) multiple moments where if they wanted to they could have tackled him, they could have grabbed him.
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“They could have done that. Why does it always have to get to a point where we see the guns firing?”
"And his family is there. The kids are there. It's in broad daylight... It's just, quite frankly, it's just f***** up in our community.”
