SHAH ALAM - What began as a light-hearted debate over basketball's greatest player quickly took an unexpected turn after United States President Donald Trump suggested NBA superstar LeBron James was "maybe... a racist" while explaining why he believes Michael Jordan remains the greatest of all time.
The remark came during a White House press conference on Friday after Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy asked Trump whether Jordan or James deserved the title of basketball's "best ever", following news that the four-time NBA champion is set to continue his career with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Rather than simply making the case for Jordan, Trump veered into a personal attack on James.
"Michael Jordan is a guy that's a friend of mine. I play golf with him. He's a really good guy.
"I think LeBron is, maybe he's a racist, but maybe he doesn't like Trump. I don't know. I only like people that like me, so I would say Michael Jordan all the way," he said.
Trump offered no evidence to support the remark, and James has yet to respond publicly.
The exchange is the latest chapter in a years-long feud between the two public figures.
James has been one of Trump's most prominent critics in the sports world, endorsing Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton in 2016, Joe Biden in 2020 and Kamala Harris in 2024.
Their public disagreements date back to 2017, when James called Trump "a bum" after the president withdrew the traditional White House invitation for the NBA champion Golden State Warriors following comments by star guard Stephen Curry that he would decline to attend.
Trump's latest comments came just hours after James announced he would join the Philadelphia 76ers for his 24th NBA season, ending months of speculation over his future.
The move pairs the NBA's all-time leading scorer with a star-studded roster featuring Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown, raising expectations that Philadelphia could emerge as a serious championship contender.
"I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team," James wrote in a lengthy social media post announcing the move.
At 41, James remains one of basketball's most decorated players, having won four NBA championships with the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers.
He is also a four-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and holds league records for both career points scored and games played.
Jordan, meanwhile, is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in NBA history after winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls during the 1990s and collecting five MVP awards.
While Trump's comments quickly dominated headlines, the president also weighed in on several other sporting controversies during the same news conference.
He defended golfer Bryson DeChambeau, describing the two-shot penalty handed to the American during this month's Open Championship as "a tough call" after officials ruled he had improved the area of his backswing.
Trump also revisited his intervention during the FIFA World Cup, saying he had asked FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the red card shown to United States forward Folarin Balogun during the Americans' Round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Balogun's one-match suspension was ultimately suspended for a year, allowing him to feature in the United States' Round of 16 defeat to Belgium.
Asked whether there was precedent for a US president becoming a "fixer" in sporting matters, Trump defended his involvement.
"I thought the Bryson call was a tough call," he said. "I thought the red card was a very tough call and it worked out brilliantly. All I did, I asked for a review. I thought that call was not a good call."