LeBron James is quite possibly the best basketball player the world has ever seen, but he's not allowed to speak about his political opinions. At least, that's what Laura Ingraham at Fox News thinks.

NBA stars LeBron James and Kevin Durant appeared on a podcast with ESPN's Cari Champion called "Rolling with the Champion."

In the podcast, James said that Donald Trump does not understand and does not care about the American people. Durant said good leadership and encouragement builds a good team, and if America were a basketball team then Trump is not a good coach.

Then, Laura Ingraham, host of The Ingraham Angle on Fox News, dedicated an entire segment criticizing James and Durant for their comments.

"Must they run their mouths like that?" Ingraham asked. "This is what happens when you attempt to leave high school a year early to join the NBA... and it's always unwise to seek political advice from someone who gets paid $100 million a year to bounce a ball."

Ingraham says we should not seek political advice from LeBron James. But Fox News regularly brings on guests like rock star Ted Nugent, who once called on presidential candidate Barack Obama to "suck on" his machine gun.

Ingraham saying "must they run their mouths like that" represents centuries of black oppression in the United States. During slavery, black people were reprimanded for saying anything deemed critical of white people.

The popular notion for Ingraham, Tomi Lahren, and others is that black professional athletes who speak out or protest are "spoiled" and "entitled" when that could not be farther from the truth. LeBron had a tough childhood without his father, and his mother was just 16 when she had him.

Black athletes in professional sports make millions of dollars, but despite their success, they cannot escape racial hate. In 2017, LeBron James' house was vandalized when someone spray-painted the n-word on the front gate.

This is not an isolated incident involving a black athlete. In the fall of 2016, conservative pundits went wild when San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeled during the national anthem to protest racial injustice in The United States.

Kaepernick's protest and the outrage following almost mirror those of the Civil Rights Movement. It seems as though matter how a black person protests, whether on a bridge in Selma or silently protesting on an NFL sideline, people who are in denial that they are racists are going to have a problem with it.

One of the beautiful things about sports is bringing people together. Athletes from all over the NBA and other sports have come to the support of LeBron because he is reminding us that he is more than just an athlete. He is an icon who, for the rest of his life, will use his platform to help others-- no matter what people like Laura Ingraham say.

LeBron recently said he and his fellow athletes will not shut up and dribble, and I hope they never will. Fans everywhere, especially children, look up to athletes like LeBron for inspiration. Popular professional athletes, no matter their races, should use their platforms to speak out on issues they think are important.