Supporters of LeBron James are showing their love for the NBA superstar after Donald Trump took aim at his intelligence, and many are reaching into their wallets to do it.
On Friday, James sat down for an interview with CNN’s Don Lemon, talking about the new school he opened in Akron for disadvantaged students. James has long done work in his native Akron through the LeBron James Family Foundation, and the school offers free college tuition to all students who graduate high school. But that didn’t go over well with Donald Trump .
After the interview aired, Trump took to Twitter to take a shot at LeBron’s intelligence.
“Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon. He made Lebron look smart, which isn’t easy to do. I like Mike!”
This is not the first time that two had come into conflict. Trump had taken previous shots at LeBron, who has been known to criticize Trump on Twitter. James has also spoken out against Trump using sports as a way to divide Americans.
“He doesn’t understand the power that he has for being the leader of this beautiful country,” James said last year (via ESPN ). “He doesn’t understand how many kids, no matter the race, look up to the president of the United States for guidance, for leadership, for words of encouragement. He doesn’t understand that, and that’s what makes me more sick than anything, that we have someone that’s… this is the most, this is the No. 1 position in the world.”
But for fans of LeBron James, the insult about the NBA star’s intelligence went too far — especially after LeBron’s charitable acts in helping disadvantaged youth in his native Akron.
LeBron James is popular. Donald Trump is not. LeBron opened up a public school in an underserved community, the same one in which he grew up. Trump had to pay a $25 million settlement for running a fake university. https://t.co/rGmBinBany
— Jamil Smith ???? ???? (@JamilSmith) August 4, 2018
So many of those fans decided to show Trump just how much support LeBron James has, and deciding to donate to the school would be the best way to do it. Many shared messages encouraging people to donate, with NBA writer Dave DuFour suggesting $45 in honor of LeBron’s jersey number.
In honor of @KingJames getting put on blast by the idiot that unfortunately resides in White House, @realDonadlTrump , I just made a $25 donation to the LeBron James Family Foundation.
He’s making a positive change in the world, and we should help him. https://t.co/kBcLMfTrF5
— Germinator (@johngermany) August 4, 2018
Though Trump’s tweet came late on Friday night, the movement seemed to gain steam in the early morning hours on Saturday and has a strong precedence in the world of sports. Fans have taken to using donations to show their appreciation, like Buffalo Bills fans who earlier this year donated close to $500,000 to Andy Dalton’s foundation when the Bengals quarterback helped the Bills reach the playoffs with a last-minute win over the Ravens on the final day of the season.
