LeBron: Trump has used sports to divide the U.S.

LeBron James believes President Donald Trump has used professional sports as a tool to drive a wedge between the American people.

"What I've noticed over the last few months is he's kinda used sports to kinda divide us, and that's something that I can't relate to," James told CNN's Don Lemon on Monday.

Since taking office, Trump has inserted himself into multiple sports-related discussions, most notably the ongoing debate over whether NFL players should be forced to stand during the playing of the national anthem.

Earlier this year, Trump rescinded White House invitations to both championship-winning teams in the NBA and NFL. First, he withdrew the offer to the Golden State Warriors due to vocal dissension from star players such as Stephen Curry, and then did the same to the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles after it was reported many players would not attend.

James views these displays as an attempt to divide the public, which he finds troublesome as he cites his experience in youth sports as one of the ways he was introduced to new people, and therefore says he "can't sit back and say nothing."

"Sports was the first time I was ever around someone white," James said. "I got an opportunity to see them and learn about them, and they got the opportunity to learn about me, and we become very good friends. And I was like, 'Oh wow, this is all because of sports.'"