LeBron James backing Harris in US election battle

LOS ANGELES — LeBron James threw his support behind Kamala Harris's bid for the White House on Thursday (Friday Manila time), becoming the latest high-profile celebrity to endorse the Democratic candidate in the final countdown to next week's US presidential election.

NBA superstar James's support for Harris had been expected, with the Los Angeles Lakers ace a long-time critic of her opponent, former president Donald Trump.

James announced his support for Harris on social media alongside a video montage that included footage from Trump's racism-tainted Madison Square Garden rally in New York on Sunday.

"What are we even talking about here??" James wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

"When I think about my kids and my family and how they will grow up, the choice is clear to me. VOTE KAMALA HARRIS!!!"

The video also included historical footage depicting the US civil rights struggle as well as from the protests of the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement following the killing of George Floyd.

The montage closed with the message: "Hate takes us back."

James, 39, has regularly backed Democratic candidates over the years, and famously clashed with Trump in 2017 after Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry said he would skip any invite to the White House following his team's 2016 NBA finals win.

When Trump announced on social media that due to Curry's comments, the Warriors would not receive a White House reception, James replied: "U bum @StephenCurry30 already said he ain't going! So therefore ain't no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!"

James's tweeted response to Trump was the most popular tweet by an athlete in 2017 and to date has garnered some 1.1 million likes and 554,000 retweets.

A slew of celebrities have endorsed Harris heading into the November 5 election, with the likes of music superstars Taylor Swift, Beyonce and Bruce Springsteen backing the US vice-president, along with a wave of Hollywood actors.