President Donald Trump said Friday that he considers LeBron James a possible "racist" while declaring Michael Jordan the greatest basketball player of all time, remarks that came hours after James announced he would play for the Philadelphia 76ers this coming season.

A GOAT debate with a political twist

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump was asked to weigh in on the long-running debate over whether James or Jordan deserves the title of basketball's greatest player ever. Rather than addressing statistics, championships or on-court accomplishments, Trump framed his answer around his personal relationship with each player. Speaking about Jordan, Trump described their friendship directly. "Michael Jordan is a guy that's a friend of mine. Play golf with him. He's a really good guy," Trump said.

Turning to James, Trump's tone shifted sharply. According to Yahoo Sports, Trump said, "I think LeBron is, maybe he's a racist. But maybe he doesn't like Trump I don't know." He went on to justify his preference for Jordan on personal terms rather than basketball merit, concluding that his ranking came down to who liked him personally rather than any evaluation of the players' careers.

A history of friction between Trump and James

Friday's comments extend a yearslong pattern of public friction between Trump and James that dates back to Trump's first term in office. According to The Hill, the two have clashed........

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