I Would Never Sit Across from Him

Asked by CNN's Don Lemon whether he would ever sit down with President Donald Trump, LeBron James answered that he would never sit across from him, and added that he had sat across from Barack Obama. The exchange aired on July 30, 2018.

James used the same interview to say he believed the president was using sports to divide people rather than bring them together. He pointed to the way athletes and fans had been pulled into political fights that had nothing to do with the games themselves.

The interview ran the same week James opened the I PROMISE School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, a public school launched with his foundation for students who had fallen behind. Trump responded the following day on Twitter, saying Lemon had made James look smart, and adding that he liked Mike. Several NBA players publicly backed James in the hours that followed.

Eight years later, the exchange still gets quoted on both sides.