It’s not a secret that the NBA and President Donald Trump have a complicated relationship, to say the least, especially when it comes to LeBron James.
James and Trump have constantly gone back-and-forth ever since Trump was elected for office and the leader of the Free World has never hesitated to throw some jabs at The King.
This time, instead of congratulating the Los Angeles Lakers as Presidents usually do, Trump took another shot at the NBA, posting an article that claimed that the ratings were down 70% as the people weren’t interested in this year’s ultimate game:
Viewership for NBA Finals Finale Crash Nearly 70%, Beaten by Random Sunday Night Football Game https://t.co/RaDVRSE4ww via @BreitbartNews Maybe they were watching in China, but I doubt it. Zero interest!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 12, 2020
It’s pretty safe to assume that LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers will decide to skip their trip to the White House this time like the Golden State Warriors already did, although it doesn’t seem like Trump is interested in inviting them, regardless of the tradition and protocol.
The ratings have been down this year since the restart of the season for countless reasons, including the fact that, for the first time ever, the NBA, NFL, NHL, WNBA, and MLB were all playing at the same time.
Moreover, some fans didn’t feel like the bubble was the right environment for competitive basketball as the lack of a homecourt advantage will hurt their chances.
This downfall of the ratings could take a toll on the next collective bargain agreement and next year’s salary cap, which will obviously affect the free agency and the kinds of deals that teams could offer players going forward.
As for Trump and the NBA, the players are going to continue pushing and speaking up on social injustice matters and encouraging people to register to vote.
