LeBron James, NBA players react to Trump-Biden debate by urging fans to vote
LeBron James and Stephen Curry headlined a handful of NBA players who took to social media Tuesday night during the first 2020 presidential debate to call for their followers to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming election.
The debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden was a contentious and frequently ugly affair, which inspired many pundits and insiders to refer to the spectacle as a debacle and embarrassment.
How much the fiery, chaotic and vitriolic exchanges between Biden and Trump inspired the likes of James, Curry, among other players, to take to Twitter to spread the word on the importance of voting is unclear, but odds are the surreal scene motivated their actions by some measure.
PLEASE VOTE!!!!! @morethanavote
— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 30, 2020
— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) September 30, 2020
— Larry Nance Jr (@Larrydn22) September 30, 2020
Man
— Thon Maker (@ThonMaker14) September 30, 2020
all I’ve got to say is Please Please Please VOTE. #Vote
PLEASE VOTE PLEASE VOTE PLEASE VOTE!!!
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) September 30, 2020
A handful of NBA players, as well as Magic Johnson, specifically addressed the unseemly nature of the debate in further tweets, with the consensus being that Trump behaved inappropriately throughout the evening.
Not sure what that was…if you’re feeling some type of way about the “debate” tonight, take the time to check your voter registration and go VOTE 🗳
— Harrison Barnes (@hbarnes) September 30, 2020
Stand back and stand by??????????? No further questions your honor! #vote
— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) September 30, 2020
What he said… #vote https://t.co/UUFSy7J9U9
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) September 30, 2020
After watching the debate I’m just speechless. The key takeaway is exactly what Vice President Joe Biden addressed in his closing remarks, we must get out and vote!! Especially Black and Latino communities! #BidenHarris #Debates2020
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) September 30, 2020
James, along with Curry — not to mention many other NBA players as well as several coaches — have long been vocal critics of the Trump administration.
James, meanwhile, is heading up a new voting rights group, “More Than A Vote,” an initiative officially launched back in June that counts several high-profile professional athletes among its ranks. The Los Angeles Lakers star has also previously committed to support the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris ticket ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
The fact that the Lakers superstar, along with presumably a majority of NBA players, are likely to back the Biden-Harris ticket in the upcoming November elections was an arguable inevitability in light of their widespread activism in the Walt Disney World bubble related to issues such as systemic racism, social inequality and police misconduct.
What’s more, given Trump’s continued polarizing presence across the world of sports, it stands to reason the tweets shared by the above NBA players are representative of how athletes in other sports feel about the upcoming election.
