LeBron fires back at Laura Ingraham after she told him to 'Shut up and dribble'
As America veers toward a Constitutional crisis, Fox News host Laura Ingraham is placing the blame not on Donald Trump but on ... LeBron James?
On Thursday, Ingraham dedicated a whole segment of her show to James, enjoining the player to "shut up and dribble" on the grounds that he wasn't "educated" enough to speak about politics. Last night, LeBron finally responded on Instagram with a pithy and forceful photo.
"#Wewillnotshutupanddribble," Lebron wrote in the caption below.
In a segment about Donald Trump, Ingraham said Lebron James and Kevin Durant's recent comments about the president were "barely intelligible." James had recently shared a clip on his video platform, UNINTERRUPTED, where he and Durant criticized the president, comparing him to a bad coach in basketball.
"Must they run their mouths like that?" Ingraham said, in what many are interpreting to be some kind of dog whistle. "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."
The segment continued:
“You’re great players but no one voted for you,” she added, addressing Mr. James and Mr. Durant directly. “Millions elected Trump to be their coach. So keep the political commentary to yourself, or as someone once said, shut up and dribble.”
Ingraham later released a statement and denied any racial intent in her remarks: "defamatory charges of racism are a transparent attempt to immunize entertainment and sports elites from scrutiny and criticism."
Philadelphia Eagles lineman Chris Long responded by posting a series of tweets featuring Fox News hosts interviewing celebrities and athletes for their political opinions.
In other tweets, Long featured Fox News appearances by Chuck Norris, Curt Schilling, Clint Eastwood, Fabio, and Joe Namath.
Durant also responded on Friday night:
"Ignorance is something I try to ignore. That was definitely an ignorant comment,” Durant said of Ingraham's segment.
“I do play basketball, but I am a civilian and I am a citizen of the United States, so my voice is just as loud as hers, I think – or even louder."
We await President Trump's completely unsolicited tweet on the situation.
Heather was the Web Trends reporter at Mashable NYC. Prior to joining Mashable, Heather wrote regularly for UPROXX and GOOD Magazine, was published in The Daily Dot and VICE, and had her work featured in Entertainment Weekly, Jezebel, Mic, and Gawker. She loves small terrible dogs and responsible driving. Follow her on Twitter @wear_a_helmet.
