Stephen A. Smith condemned President Trump’s suggestion that LeBron James might be racist, calling the remarks “really, really disgusting”. The criticism is notable because Smith has recently clashed publicly with James, yet defended him against what he described as divisive rhetoric from the president.

Trump made the comment when asked to choose between James and Michael Jordan as basketball’s greatest player. He said Jordan was a friend and added that James might be racist or simply dislike Trump, before saying he preferred people who like him; Smith said the episode had become “ridiculous”.