UPDATE: A Fox News personality is denying any racial bias toward NBA superstar LeBron James after telling him to "shut up and dribble."
Fox issued a statement from Laura Ingraham, host of "The Ingraham Angle," Friday afternoon, denying any "racial intent" in her remarks about James, Kevin Durant and Cari Champion.
Appearing recently in a video for James' "Uninterrupted" multimedia site, the trio discussed President Donald Trump, with James saying the Trump doesn't "give a f—" about the American people.
Said Ingraham in her statement:
"In 2003, I wrote a New York Times bestseller called 'Shut Up & Sing,' in which I criticized celebrities like the Dixie Chicks & Barbra Streisand who were trashing then-President George W. Bush. I have used a variation of that title for more than 15 years to respond to performers who sound off on politics. I’ve told Robert DeNiro to 'Shut Up & Act,' Jimmy Kimmel to 'Shut Up & Make Us Laugh,' and just this week told the San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich to 'Shut up & Coach.' If pro athletes and entertainers want to freelance as political pundits, then they should not be surprised when they’re called out for insulting politicians. There was no racial intent in my remarks - false, defamatory charges of racism are a transparent attempt to immunize entertainment and sports elites from scrutiny and criticism. Additionally, we stated on my show that these comments came from an ESPN podcast, which was not the case - the content was unaffiliated with ESPN."
James' longtime friend and teammate Dwyane Wade wasn't buying that race didn't play a factor in Ingraham's insulting remarks about the King's lack of a college education.
They use to try and hide it.. now the president has given everyone the courage to live their truths. https://t.co/OwLSMHIG0m
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) February 16, 2018
Late Friday, James had a brief response to the Fox News host's comments posting out the hashtag saying, "We will not shut up and dribble."
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Fox's Laura Ingraham declared King James should "shut up and dribble" after the Cavaliers superstar said President Donald Trump doesn't "give a f—" about the American people.
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The conservative host of "The Ingraham Angle" also insulted James for trying to leave high school a year early to enter the NBA. LeBron's' "R-rated" take on Trump was "barely intelligible, not to mention ungrammatical," said Ingraham, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Laura Ingraham says #LeBronJames should "shut up and dribble" and leave political comments to people who didn't leave high school a year early. pic.twitter.com/vwInOpZJZq
— Thomas Bishop (@bishopk0s) February 16, 2018
The populist commentator was referring to James' and Kevin Durant's newest "Uninterrupted" video with Cari Champion, in which the two NBA superstars and ESPN anchor agree that Trump's comments are often "laughable" and "scary." Said Ingraham:
I’m numb to this commentary. Must they run their mouths like that? Unfortunately, a lot of kids and some adults take these ignorant comments seriously. Look, there might be a cautionary lesson in LeBron for kids. This is what happens when you attempt to leave high school a year early to join the NBA. And it's always unwise to seek political advice from someone who gets paid $100 million a year to bounce a ball. Oh and LeBron and Kevin? You're great players but no one voted for you. Millions elected Trump to be their coach. So keep the political commentary to yourself. Or as someone once said, shut up and dribble.
MORE: LeBron's platform can't be torn down by Fox News hosts — or anyone else
Fox News anchors have supported Trump's campaign against NFL players kneeling for racial/social justice this season.
The James-Durant-Champion video for Uber gave Ingraham and Fox the opportunity for a rare triple play: They could bash James and ESPN while simultaneously defending Trump.
James has never hid his feelings about Trump, calling the president a "bum" on social media.
But Ingraham's and Fox's attack on James, one of the most politically outspoken players in the NBA, didn't go over too well in the sports media world.
While Ingraham wants James to shut up about politics, she had no problems with Tim Tebow (who appeared in an anti-abortion Super Bowl commercial), noted Justin Baragona of Mediate.
Columnist Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report tweeted that Ingraham's comments were "appalling."
Jemele Hill of ESPN's The Undefeated was also offended.
"LeBron is one of greatest examples of our country we’ve ever seen. He went from nothing to something. He had to be excellent at everything. To insinuate he’s not intelligent is appalling," she tweeted.
