- The Washington Times - Friday, February 16, 2018

Fox News Channel’s Laura Ingraham pulled no rhetorical punches this week while addressing the political activism of NBA stars LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

The host of “The Ingraham Angle” told her fans on Thursday night that professional basketball players who are outspoken in their criticism of President Trump should “shut up and dribble.” The monologue came shortly after the duo had an interview published by “UNINTERRUPTED.”

“The climate is hot,” Mr. James told journalist Cari Champion. “The No. 1 job in America, the appointed person is someone who doesn’t understand the people. And really don’t give a f– about the people.”

“You need to empower people, you need to encourage people,” added Mr. Durant. “And that’s what builds a great team. And I feel like our team as a country is not ran by a great coach.”

Ms. Ingraham responded Thursday night with a message for both men: “No one voted for you.”

“Millions elected Trump to be their coach. So keep the political commentary to yourself or, as someone once said, shut up and dribble,” she said, USA Today reported. “Look, there might be a cautionary lesson in LeBron for kids: This is what happens when you attempt to leave high school a year early to join the NBA,” she said. “And it’s always unwise to seek political advice from someone who gets paid a hundred-million dollars a year to bounce a ball.”


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Fellow NBA star Dwyane Wade, who was recently traded back to the Miami Heat from James’ Cleveland Cavaliers, told fans on Twitter that Ms. Ingraham was somehow emboldened by Mr. Trump’s election.

“They use to try and hide it,” he Tweeted Friday. “Now the president has given everyone the courage to live their truths.”

Ms. Ingraham countered criticism with a statement of her own.

“In 2003, I wrote a New York Times bestseller called ’Shut Up & Sing,’ in which I criticized celebrities like the Dixie Chicks & Barbra Streisand who were trashing then-President George W. Bush,” she wrote. “I have used a variation of that title for more than 15 years to respond to performers who sound off on politics. I’ve told Robert DeNiro to ’Shut Up & Act,’ Jimmy Kimmel to ’Shut Up & Make Us Laugh,’ and just this week told the San Antonio Spur’; Gregg Popovich to ’Shut up & Coach.’”

“If pro athletes and entertainers want to freelance as political pundits, then they should not be surprised when they’re called out for insulting politicians,” she continued. “There was no racial intent in my remarks — false, defamatory charges of racism are a transparent attempt to immunize entertainment and sports elites from scrutiny and criticism. Additionally, we stated on my show that these comments came from an ESPN podcast, which was not the case — the content was unaffiliated with ESPN.”

Editor’s note: “UNINTERRUPTED” is not an ESPN property. Ms. Champion is, however, an anchor on SportsCenter.

• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.

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