Did LeBron James go too far in criticism of Trump , voters ? 
LeBron James
''' James said at poine point . 
James had waded back into the fray over the weekend . 
INDEPENDENCE , Ohio -- LeBron James helped move the conversation forward Monday after the latest collision of sports and politics over the weekend . 
Where Gilbert was right , and where James could meet him in using his voice instead of his knee and encouraging the same from his peers , is in taking steps toward those highly sought constructive conversations and positive resolutions . 
"He does n't understand the power that he has , for being the leader of this beautiful country ," James said . 
Minutes later , though , James felt obliged to explain that kneeling during the national anthem is "not about disrespect of the flag and our military and everybody who has made this world free . 
James , the Cleveland Cavaliers ' star as well as the NBA 's top performer and perhaps its most polarizing figure , was in a good mood , engaged and willing to entertain questions about anything , from anyone , in the most notable exchange at the Cavs ' media day . 
James was savvy enough at the start of what became a 40-minute Q&A session to request that reporters clump their questions together by topic -- and there were a good half dozen meaty ones hanging over him and his team after a tumultuous offseason -- rather than skip randomly back and forth . 
James said he would lend his voice , his passion , his money and his resources to causes , particularly involving young people . 
His foundation launched a school in his hometown of Akron for at-risk students , helping 1,300 students at a cost of nearly $ 45 million , James said Monday . 
The Trump topic in particular ate up nearly half of his time on the platform , during which James shined a light and sharpened focus on an unwieldy issue that largely has been defined by and debated according to kneeling vs. standing , asserting one 's right to protest vs. respecting America and its flag , and most recently pushing back against or knuckling under to President Trump . 
Where James veered into dicey territory was when he said : "No matter whether you voted for him or not , you may have made a mistake and that 's OK , if you voted for him . 
James was asked if he expected the NFL 's controversy over players ' sideline protests to draw attention to what they feel is racial discrimination in law enforcement , up to and including brutality involving lethal force , to trickle down to the NBA when the league 's 2017-18 regular season begins Oct. 17 . 
It was n't as simple as second-guessing the 1984 Trail Blazers for drafting Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan , which James mentioned . 
"I did n't name-call ," James said . 
The state in which James was born , lives and works -- and the state in which the Cavaliers do business -- was carried by Trump in the 2016 election . 
The current president took Ohio with 51 percent of the vote , compared to 43 who voted for Hillary Clinton , who had the benefit of James ' public endorsement . 
Right there , James nudged the whole issue a bit . 
James at one point eloquently made a case for keeping politics out of sports . 
Asked how he would reconcile the idea of his neighbors , presumably many Cavaliers fans , voting that way , James doubled down .
''' [TGT] said at poine point . 
[TGT] had waded back into the fray over the weekend . 
INDEPENDENCE , Ohio -- [TGT] helped move the conversation forward Monday after the latest collision of sports and politics over the weekend . 
Where Gilbert was right , and where [TGT] could meet him in using his voice instead of his knee and encouraging the same from his peers , is in taking steps toward those highly sought constructive conversations and positive resolutions . 
"He does n't understand the power that he has , for being the leader of this beautiful country ," [TGT] said . 
Minutes later , though , [TGT] felt obliged to explain that kneeling during the national anthem is "not about disrespect of the flag and our military and everybody who has made this world free . 
[TGT] , the Cleveland Cavaliers ' star as well as the NBA 's top performer and perhaps its most polarizing figure , was in a good mood , engaged and willing to entertain questions about anything , from anyone , in the most notable exchange at the Cavs ' media day . 
[TGT] was savvy enough at the start of what became a 40-minute Q&A session to request that reporters clump their questions together by topic -- and there were a good half dozen meaty ones hanging over [TGT] and [TGT] team after a tumultuous offseason -- rather than skip randomly back and forth . 
[TGT] said [TGT] would lend [TGT] voice , [TGT] passion , [TGT] money and [TGT] resources to causes , particularly involving young people . 
[TGT] foundation launched a school in [TGT] hometown of Akron for at-risk students , helping 1,300 students at a cost of nearly $ 45 million , [TGT] said Monday . 
The Trump topic in particular ate up nearly half of [TGT] time on the platform , during which [TGT] shined a light and sharpened focus on an unwieldy issue that largely has been defined by and debated according to kneeling vs. standing , asserting one 's right to protest vs. respecting America and its flag , and most recently pushing back against or knuckling under to President Trump . 
Where [TGT] veered into dicey territory was when [TGT] said : "No matter whether you voted for [TGT] or not , you may have made a mistake and that 's OK , if you voted for [TGT] . 
[TGT] was asked if [TGT] expected the NFL 's controversy over players ' sideline protests to draw attention to what they feel is racial discrimination in law enforcement , up to and including brutality involving lethal force , to trickle down to the NBA when the league 's 2017-18 regular season begins Oct. 17 . 
It was n't as simple as second-guessing the 1984 Trail Blazers for drafting Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan , which [TGT] mentioned . 
"I did n't name-call ," [TGT] said . 
The state in which [TGT] was born , lives and works -- and the state in which the Cavaliers do business -- was carried by Trump in the 2016 election . 
The current president took Ohio with 51 percent of the vote , compared to 43 who voted for Hillary Clinton , who had the benefit of [TGT] ' public endorsement . 
Right there , [TGT] nudged the whole issue a bit . 
[TGT] at one point eloquently made a case for keeping politics out of sports . 
Asked how [TGT] would reconcile the idea of [TGT] neighbors , presumably many Cavaliers fans , voting that way , [TGT] doubled down .