LeBron James and Draymond Green have had a number of high-profile battles over the years. Despite this — and despite how heated some of their interactions have been — the pair have made it clear that they respect one another as players and as individuals. Green took that respect to a new level on Tuesday, when he expressed his hope that James will one day seek the nation’s highest office.
Green, who is part of James’ recently-announced “More Than A Vote” initiative, appeared on ESPN’s First Take and got asked about the power James has in the world of basketball. He did not hesitate to share how he views James on and off the court, culminating in his endorsement that James should seek out the presidency some day.
“Hopefully [LeBron] will run for President one day.”
Draymond Green speaks on LeBron’s power on and off the court, and thinks he should run for office. pic.twitter.com/nsc4WXseE9
— First Take (@FirstTake) June 23, 2020
“I think LeBron yields a lot of power, as he should,” Green said. “I think arguably the greatest player of all time, you look at his resume, it’s flawless on and off the court. The things that he’s been able to do on the court, obviously spectacular, but it’s more important the things that he’s been able to accomplish off the court, and that’s where he gets the utmost respect from me from.
“It’s not about, for me, what he’s done on the basketball court,” Green continued. “As a competitor, I enjoy playing against him, enjoy playing against the best. But what he’s done off the court, the initiatives that he’s been able to lead, and this is just another example of that. I have the utmost respect for him, hopefully he [will] run for president one day.”
An individual expressing their admiration for James and even going as far to say that he should enter politics one day is nothing new, but this is extremely high praise from Green. Time will tell if James is going to run for president — 2020 is obviously not happening, and who knows if he’ll still be playing in 2024, so maybe 2028 will be his time to shine. If this does happen some day, James would certainly hope that he’d do better than the last NBA champion who made a bid for the White House.