LeBron James blasts Fox News host Laura Ingraham for double-standard on which athletes she believes can speak out on politics

• Fox News host Laura Ingraham came to Drew Brees' defense after he said he'd "never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag."
• Ingraham said the New Orleans Saints quarterback is "allowed to have his view" because "he's a person" and called outcry against him "totalitarian conduct" and "Stalinist."
• When LeBron James and Kevin Durant spoke out about race relations in America back in 2018, Ingraham famously told the NBA superstars to "shut up and dribble."
• Athletes across the sports world called out Ingraham for the double-standard on social media.

When it comes to race relations in America, one Fox News commentator thinks Drew Brees is entitled to his opinion, but that LeBron James and Kevin Durant should "shut up and dribble."

Laura Ingraham — host of The Ingraham Angle — defended the New Orleans Saints quarterback after he said he'd "never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country."

"Is everything right with our country right now? No, it's not," Brees said in an interview with Yahoo published Wednesday. "But I think what you do by standing there and showing respect to the flag with your hand over your heart is it shows unity. It shows that we are all in this together, we can all do better, and that we are all part of the solution."

The NFL all-time leader in career passing yards walked back his statement and apologized Thursday morning, but not before Ingraham could jump to his defense during her show.

"He's allowed to have his view about what kneeling and the flag mean to him," Ingraham said. "I mean, he's a person. He has some worth, I would imagine."

The 56-year-old took her argument one step further by critiquing those who voiced their disagreement with Brees' stance. In response to a video of protesters in New Orleans shouting "f--- Drew Brees," Ingraham called the backlash Brees has faced "totalitarian conduct" and "Stalinist."

"This is beyond football, though," she said. "On the streets of New Orleans... they're shouting 'F Drew Brees.' That's what this moment has done to the beautiful team spirit of the New Orleans Saints."

Many have noted that Ingraham was not so quick to defend two of the brightest stars in the NBA when they discussed their experiences as black men in America back in 2018. She warned her viewers of her show that "it's always unwise to seek political advice from someone who gets paid $100 million a year to bounce a ball" before addressing James and Durant directly.

"LeBron and Kevin, you're great players, but no one voted for you," Ingraham said. "Millions elected Trump to be their coach, so keep the political commentary to yourself. Or, as someone once said, shut up and dribble."

Twitter user @Acyn merged the clip of Ingraham's sympathetic response to Brees with the video of her dismissing James' and Durant's viewpoints into one video and shared it on Twitter. The post has since been shared by Complex Sports, where many big names in the world of athletics have responded with ire at Ingraham's hypocrisy — including James himself.

"If you still haven't figured out why the protesting is going on," James tweeted alongside the video. "Why we're acting as we are is because we are simply F-N tired of this treatment right here! Can we break it down for you any simpler than this right here???? And to my people don't worry I won't stop until I see CHANGE!!! #ShutUpAndDribbleThisPowerfulBlackManComingFullSteam"

Ingraham and Fox News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

• Read more:
• Drew Brees on NFL players kneeling next season: 'I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag'
• One of Drew Brees' teammates said he 'should shut the f--- up' after comments on kneeling during the national anthem
• The San Francisco 49ers participated in #BlackoutTuesday and fans are calling it hypocrisy after the treatment of Colin Kaepernick
• Coco Gauff delivered an impassioned speech at her local Black Lives Matter peaceful protest: 'If you are choosing silence, you are choosing the side of the oppressor'