‘I only like people that like me’: Trump weighs in on Jordan v James debate after LeBron join 76ers

LeBron James announced his decision on Friday (US time) to join the Philadelphia 76ers for his record-extending 24th NBA season with hopes of helping the franchise snap a 43-year championship drought. The league’s all-time leading scorer spent the last eight seasons of his glittering career with the Los Angeles Lakers, leading them to a title in 2020 after two separate stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers and four years with the Miami Heat. “This is my last decision.

I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family. What am I really playing for at this point?

I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind.

I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship,” James wrote on social media. “I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energise a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time. Thank you, LA.

Miami I’ll forever love and Northeast Ohio will always be home!” The James decision also reached President Donald Trump, who was asked to comment on the NBA great’s career compared to Michael Jordan. In a White House press conference, Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked the president whether Jordan or James was the “best ever.”

Trump replied: “Michael Jordan is a guy that’s a friend of mine. I play golf with him. He’s a really good guy.

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.”

James endorsed the three candidates that ran against Trump in the past three presidential elections: Hillary Clinton in 2016, Joe Biden in 2020 and Kamala Harris in 2024. James also criticised Trump following the president’s withdrawal of Golden State Warriors’ invitation to the White House in 2017, after Warriors star Stephen Curry stated that he would have declined the visit. James will join a 76ers team that made the 2026 NBA playoffs by securing the seventh seed through a play-in tournament before falling to the eventual champion New York Knicks in the second round.

James did not disclose terms of the deal, but ESPN reported that the four-time champion signed a two-year, $US8 million ($11.5 million) contract with a player option. A number of teams had been pursuing James, with Cleveland, Miami, the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves all believed to have been interested in the high-profile free agent.

The 41-year-old James, who last March surpassed Robert Parish’s record for most career regular-season games played, has continued to perform at an elite level despite his age. He earned a league-record 22nd consecutive All-Star selection last February during a season in which he averaged 20.9 points, 6.

1 rebounds and 7.2 assists over 60 games. His season ended when the Lakers were swept from the second round of the playoffs.

“I thought I was done when the season ended. I wasn’t ready to announce it, and I knew I needed some time to really decide, but I was pretty sure I played my last game. I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and decide if I still love this game.

I still truly love this game, and I have more to give,” James said. “The last few weeks have really been special. I’ve never been able to have no clue what to do and take real time to just think.

I’ve had an incredible few months with all the people I love trying to figure it all out.” In a testament to his durability, James and his son Bronny became the first father-son duo to play together in a regular-season NBA game in October 2024, fulfilling what he had long said was one of his remaining basketball goals. James, a four-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, joined the Lakers in 2018.

He set the league record for the longest career in NBA history last year when he surpassed Vince Carter’s mark of 22 seasons. He was selected with the first pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by his hometown Cavaliers, where he spent seven seasons before announcing during a live TV special titled The Decision that he was leaving for Miami. The announcement damaged James’ public image and led to many people burning his replica No.

23 jerseys on Cleveland’s streets that night. In Miami, James teamed up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to create an instant powerhouse that won two NBA titles during their four seasons together in South Beach. James returned to Cleveland and in 2016 rallied the team from a 3-1 series deficit in the NBA Finals to stun the Golden State Warriors and make good on his promise to deliver the Cavaliers their first championship.

Two years later, James again left his hometown team, where he remains the franchise leader in nearly every major statistical category, to join the Lakers, where for the first time he played in the NBA’s Western Conference. Reuters News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.

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