President Donald Trump weighed in Friday on one of basketball’s most enduring debates, declaring Michael Jordan the greatest player of all time while taking a swipe at NBA star LeBron James during a White House press conference.
The question came from Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy, who asked the president to settle the long-running argument over whether Jordan or James deserves the title of the sport’s greatest player.
The exchange took place just hours after James announced he would be joining the Philadelphia 76ers, adding another chapter to his storied NBA career.
Asked to choose between the two basketball legends, Trump quickly sided with Jordan and pointed to their personal friendship before criticizing James.
“Well, Michael Jordan is a guy that’s a friend of mine, played golf with him. He’s a really good guy,” Trump said.
The president then turned his attention to James.
“And I think LeBron is, may be he’s a racist. But maybe he doesn’t like Trump I don’t know? But I only like people that like me. So I would say Michael Jordan, all the way,” Trump added.
The comments add another chapter to a years-long public back-and-forth between Trump and James, whose political differences have frequently put them at odds.
Trump’s endorsement of Jordan comes as the debate over the NBA’s greatest player continues to divide basketball fans.
James has built one of the most accomplished careers in league history, winning four NBA championships and four Most Valuable Player awards over a career that has now stretched across 23 seasons. His journey has included two stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers, along with stops with the Miami Heat, the Los Angeles Lakers, and now the Philadelphia 76ers.
Jordan, meanwhile, captured six NBA championships and five MVP awards while leading the Chicago Bulls during the 1980s and 1990s, establishing one of the most dominant dynasties in professional sports.
After retiring, Jordan later returned to the NBA for two seasons with the Washington Wizards in the early 2000s, though that portion of his career is often overlooked by many basketball fans.
While Jordan and James are the two names most frequently mentioned in discussions about the greatest player in NBA history, some fans have argued that other all-time legends also deserve consideration.
Among those commonly included in the conversation are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, along with several other basketball greats.
Trump and James have publicly disagreed for years, with their relationship becoming increasingly contentious during Trump’s first presidential campaign and presidency.
During the 2016 election, James campaigned for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in her unsuccessful bid for the White House.
The following year, James sharply criticized Trump after learning the Golden State Warriors would not visit the White House following their NBA championship.
“Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!” James posted in 2017, referring to the president as a “bum.”
Their political disagreements continued in the years that followed.
James later criticized Trump after the president condemned professional athletes who knelt during the National Anthem, with Trump referring to those players as “very dumb.”
More recently, James endorsed former Vice President Kamala Harris during her unsuccessful 2024 presidential campaign against Trump.
Friday’s exchange at the White House underscored that the personal and political divide between the president and the NBA superstar remains intact. While basketball fans continue debating whether Jordan, James, or another legend deserves the title of the NBA’s greatest player, Trump made it clear where he stands.
For the president, the answer was straightforward.
Citing both Jordan’s accomplishments on the court and their personal friendship, Trump said there was no contest, declaring that Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.
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