LeBron James was the talk of All-Star weekend not only because of his stature in the basketball world, but also because of voice beyond the game.
After James and Kevin Durant made critical comments about President Donald Trump in an "Uninterrupted" video, Fox News host Laura Ingraham responded with a monologue telling James to "shut up and dribble." James made it clear he will continue to speak out on social issues at All-Star availability, and several members of the NBA family are behind him, including Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
STEELE: LeBron won't be silenced by Fox News — or anyone else
Addressing the media before Sunday's game against James and the Cavs in Cleveland, Popovich explained how he felt upon hearing Ingraham's rant about James.
"To me, when I heard about that, it was like an unbelievable show of arrogance for a talking head to try to tell someone else if they can speak, what they can speak about, when and where to do it," Popovich said. "It's just ludicrous."
Popovich on Laura Ingraham’s comments about LeBron #Spurs #Cavs #NBA pic.twitter.com/3Oem7YnImN
— Jabari Young (@JabariJYoung) February 25, 2018
"He's been a brilliant example for millions of kids, especially of kids of lesser opportunity who haven't had the same advantages of others," Popovich continued. "And they see in this guy somebody who's consistently exhibited excellence in the workplace. It gives them a voice, let's them know that you can speak about anything."
Popovich even compared James' example as a role model to the impact of "Black Panther," the recently released film which has received critical acclaim and exploded at the box office with record-breaking numbers.
"It's kind of like the 'Black Panther' movie. How cool is that for kids to see that and have that superhero?" Popovich said. "Well, now, LeBron has been that for a long time. And for somebody to be totally numb to that and attack him in such a childish way, really speaks more volumes about that individual than it does LeBron. He's very, very special."
