LeBron James had a straightforward response to NBA fans in Israel when asked about sending a message to them before the All-Star Game on Sunday.
The Lakers star was asked about rising Israeli star Deni Avdija, who made his first appearance in the All-Star Game on Sunday.
“For all the Israeli fans, what message would you like to send to Israel and what do you think about (Blazers All-Star) Deni Avdija?”
James chose not to get overly political with his response.
“I’ve been quoted on Deni already and what I thought about his season and I believe he’s an All-Star, and he is an All-Star. He’s playing exceptional basketball, so that’s that. And then, if I had fans over there, I’ve never been there,” James said.
“If I have fans over there, then I hope you’ve been following my career, I hope I inspire people over there to not only want to be great at sports but be better in general in life. So, hopefully, someday I could make it over there. Like I said, I’ve never been over there, but I heard great things. I appreciate the question.”
It comes at a time when athletes are frequently being asked their opinion on political matters at press conferences.
U.S. skier Hunter Hess said he had “mixed emotions” about representing America at the Olympics, drawing the ire of President Trump and 1980s Miracle on Ice hero Mike Eruzione.
All the top American players at the Australian Open were asked how they felt representing the country last month when tensions around ICE were boiling over. Most opted not to dive too deeply into the subject.
James, 41, took a similar approach Sunday in Los Angeles before making his 22nd All-Star Game appearance.
In 2019, James criticized then-Rockets GM Daryl Morey, who supported protesters in Hong Kong. Morey’s tweet led to severe backlash from the Chinese government.
“Obviously, it’s a tough situation that we’re all in right now … I think when an issue comes up, if you feel passionate about it or you feel like it’s something you want to talk about, then so be it,” James said at the time. “I also don’t think that every issue should be everybody’s problem as well.”
James’ Team Stripes lost to Team Stars in the All-Star finals of the new round robin format.