LeBron James renews feud with Laura Ingraham: ‘Tired of this treatment’

Lakers forward LeBron James slammed Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Thursday over footage of her defending New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees’s right to “have an opinion” after she previously urged James to “shut up and dribble” when he criticized President Trump.

James weighed in after a video was posted on social media juxtaposing Ingraham’s comments from 2018 knocking James and then-Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant with her remarks this week weighing in on Brees’s comments about protests at NFL games during the national anthem.

“If you still haven’t figured out why the protesting is going on. Why we’re acting as we are is because we are simply F-N tired of this treatment right here!” James wrote in a pair of tweets on Thursday. “Can we break it down for you any simpler than this right here????” 

“And to my people don’t worry I won’t stop until I see change,” he added.

If you still haven’t figured out why the protesting is going on. Why we’re acting as we are is because we are simply F-N tired of this treatment right here! Can we break it down for you any simpler than this right here???? ‍♂️. And to my people don’t worry I won’t stop until I see https://t.co/e4pJ0PvwJj

— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 4, 2020

While speaking about Brees’s recent comments about anthem protests on Fox News on Wednesday, Ingraham said: “Well, he’s allowed to have his view about what kneeling and the flag means to him. I mean, he’s a person. He has some worth I would imagine.”

“I mean, this is beyond football though. This is totalitarian conduct. This is Stalinist. And by the way, on the streets of New Orleans, we’re looking at live pictures, they’re shouting, ‘F Drew Brees,’’ she continued.

The video posted on social media spliced footage of those remarks with a clip of Ingraham in 2018 pushing back on James and Durant after they criticized Trump. 

“Must they run their mouths like that? Unfortunately, a lot of kids — and some adults — take these ignorant comments seriously. And it’s always unwise to seek political advice from someone who gets paid a hundred million dollars a year to bounce a ball,” Ingraham said on Fox News at the time, according to The Washington Post.

“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,” she also said.

James responded to Ingraham’s remarks in 2018, tweeting the hashtag #wewillnotshutupanddribble while linking to a story about Durant saying he felt Ingraham’s comments were “racist.”

James went on to produce a documentary series with Showtime called “Shut Up and Dribble,” which was released later that year.

Ingraham’s latest comments come as Brees faces widespread backlash, including from current and former professional athletes, for reiterating his disagreement with “anybody disrespecting the flag.”

The star quarterback was asked in a recent interview about his thoughts on NFL players kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality, something he has weighed in on before.

However, his latest comments came amid widespread protests across the country over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died during a Minneapolis police arrest last week.

Brees has since issued an apology, calling his remarks “insensitive” and saying they “completely missed the mark on the issues we are facing right now as a country.”

In a statement obtained by The Hill, Ingraham said, “Well, without dwelling on the nuance between the two instances, let me be very clear about what I believe: We are all children of God, regardless of our racial or political differences and therefore must be treated equally.”

“Every American, every-American has the God-given right to speak his mind on any issue.  I think in order to heal and shed light on gross injustices, our country needs more dialogue, not less.  And we need more respect, less retribution.” 

She also encouraged Americans not to talk past each other and advocated for Americans to come together and reconcile. 

Updated 10:56 p.m.