Charlie Kirk, the outspoken conservative commentator and founder of Turning Point USA, is no stranger to stirring the pot. Known for his sharp critiques of cultural institutions, Kirk frequently sets his sights on the NBA and its biggest star, LeBron James. His remarks often surface when basketball collides with social issues, making him one of the league’s loudest outside critics. Whether it was players kneeling during the national anthem or the NBA’s complicated ties to China, Kirk has repeatedly inserted himself into debates that go far beyond the hardwood. And more often than not, LeBron James is right in the center of his crosshairs.

The clash is hardly surprising. On one side is LeBron, the NBA’s global face who uses his platform for social justice and political causes. On the other is Kirk, who sees today’s sports culture as overrun with politics and “woke” messaging. The friction between the two has spilled into everything from debates over Michael Jordan’s legacy to pointed claims about the NBA’s decline. As Kirk once put it in his own words, “In one hypocritical fell swoop, the ‘woke’ NBA became a ‘joke’”.

What did Charlie Kirk say about the NBA and LeBron James?

Kirk has never been shy about calling out LeBron James directly. In a campus debate, he claimed, “Do you know that LeBron James is 0-for-14 in game-winning shots in the finals or in playoffs”. That statement has been debunked, as James actually holds the most game-winning or game-tying playoff shots in NBA history with eight, but it’s a telling example of Kirk’s approach. He often leans on numbers- or misnumbers- to paint LeBron as overrated in the clutch.

He has also tied James to what he describes as the NBA’s broader collapse. Kirk argued, “The NBA is on verge of collapse. No one wants to watch it; crowd attendance is down; they’ve got to give away free food and free beer.” In his framing, LeBron’s prominence and activism are part of the reason fans are supposedly tuning out. Kirk even went so far as to dismiss half of LeBron’s career by saying, “I don’t take any NBA seriously post 2012, 2013”.

These statements go beyond statistics. They reveal a clear narrative Kirk has built: that the NBA’s quality and reputation have eroded, and that LeBron, as the league’s most visible star, shoulders much of the blame.

Why did Charlie Kirk target LeBron James specifically?

LeBron has long used his platform to push for social change, which makes him an obvious target for conservative figures like Kirk. During the 2020 restart in Orlando, LeBron and every player knelt during the anthem, with James later saying, “I hope we made Kaep proud. I hope we continue to make Kaep proud every single day”. He has also spoken out on voting rights, launching a group to help Floridians with felony convictions register to vote.

That activism clashes directly with Kirk’s worldview. He has mocked anthem protests, tweeting, “Hilarious to see Black NBA players who make millions a year take a knee to try and tell us black people can’t succeed in America. Kick them out of the league. Done watching the NBA”. By framing the players’ message as hypocritical, he positioned himself as someone standing against what he calls performative protest.

LeBron’s influence also extends beyond domestic issues. In the wake of Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey’s tweet supporting Hong Kong protesters, LeBron urged caution, saying Morey wasn’t fully informed. For Kirk, who blasted the NBA for appeasing China, this became another flashpoint. To him, LeBron symbolized how the league put money before principle, while to others, James was speaking from the complexity of international business.

What is Kirk’s Main criticism of the NBA?

Kirk’s issues go far beyond one player. He sees the entire league as bogged down in politics. From his view, the NBA traded competition for social messaging, something he summed up in his essay with the line, “In one hypocritical fell swoop, the ‘woke’ NBA became a ‘joke’”. His criticism hits three consistent points: politics in sports, the league’s relationship with China, and what he considers a decline in basketball itself.

On China, Charlie Kirk argued the NBA forced Daryl Morey to retract his tweet because “China is a huge multi-billion-dollar market for the NBA.” He framed commissioner Adam Silver’s response as prioritizing money over freedom, adding that players themselves helped legitimize China’s regime. When James Harden apologized by saying, “We apologize… we love China, we love playing there… and we love everything they’re about…” Kirk held it up as proof of the league’s surrender.

At the same time, he has painted the modern NBA as watered down. In his words, it is little more than a “three-point contest” with “no defense,” a style he dismisses compared to the Jordan era. Because LeBron embodies both the global reach and social-justice image of today’s NBA, he becomes Kirk’s natural lightning rod.

Has Charlie Kirk criticized LeBron or the NBA before?

This isn’t new territory for Kirk. Back in 2019, after the Morey controversy, he labeled the NBA “pusillanimous” for bending to Chinese pressure. By 2020, when players began kneeling en masse, he declared again he was done watching the league. As Forbes noted, it wasn’t the first time- he had made similar boycott threats going back to 2013, each time tied to a political stance taken by players.

Even outside of politics, Kirk has dipped into the LeBron-versus-Jordan debate. Clips circulated in 2022 of him backing Jordan while mocking LeBron’s longevity and even suggesting he paved a roster spot for his son. In 2025, those takes resurfaced after Stacey King shared a video of Kirk’s remarks during a GOAT debate, drawing fan reactions online.

Kirk’s pattern is clear: whenever LeBron or the NBA steps into political or cultural space, he’s quick to pounce. The targets shift- from China to anthem protests to playoff stats, but the theme is the same. LeBron represents what he opposes, so the attacks rarely stop.

Conclusion

Charlie Kirk’s battles with LeBron James and the NBA have never been just about basketball. His claims range from disputed stats to sweeping accusations about the league’s collapse, but they all tie back to one core belief: sports should stay out of politics. Meanwhile, LeBron’s focus and public comments tend to avoid direct personal engagement with conservative commentators like Kirk.

For James, that idea runs against everything he stands for as both a player and activist.