LeBron James supports Harris in the US election

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — LeBron James on Thursday endorsed Kamala Harris’ bid for the White House, becoming the latest high-profile celebrity to endorse the Democratic candidate in the countdown to next week’s US presidential election.

NBA superstar James’ endorsement of Harris was expected, as the Los Angeles Lakers ace is a longtime critic of his opponent, former President Donald Trump.

James announced his support for Harris on social media with a video montage that included footage from Trump’s racist rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday.

“What are we even talking about here?” James wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“When I think about my children and my family and how they will grow up, the choice is obvious to me. VOTE FOR KAMALA HARRIS!!!”

The video also included historic footage of the US civil rights struggle, as well as Black Lives Matter 2020 protests following the killing of George Floyd.

The montage ended with the message: “Hate takes us back.”

James, 39, has regularly endorsed Democratic candidates over the years and famously clashed with Trump in 2017 after Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry said he would pass up any invitation to the White House after his team’s victory in 2016 NBA Finals.

When Trump announced on social media that the Warriors would not be getting a White House reception because of Curry’s comments, James responded: “You bastard @StephenCurry30 already said he’s not going! So no invitations. It was a great honor to be at the White House, until you showed up!”

James’ response to Trump on Twitter was the most popular tweet by an athlete in 2017 and has garnered nearly 1.1 million likes and 554,000 retweets to date.

A host of celebrities have endorsed Harris, who is running for office on November 5, with music superstars Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Bruce Springsteen endorsing the US vice president, as well as a wave of Hollywood actors.