LeBron James has a surprising reaction to Laura Ingraham telling him to 'shut up and dribble

NBA star LeBron James had a surprising reaction to a scathing critique from Fox News host Laura Ingraham where she told him to "shut up and dribble" instead of offering his comments about President Donald Trump.

Here's video of LeBron James' comments:

Here's what he said:

"I would not shut up and dribble because I mean too much to my two boys here," James told reporters, "their best friend right here, my daughter that's at home, and my wife, and my family, and all these other kids who look up to me for inspiration, and try to find a way out."

"The best thing she did is gonna help me, create more awareness, so I appreciate her for even giving me even more awareness," he added. "For me to sit up here, in the greatest weekend of the NBA All-Star weekend and I get to sit up here and talk about social injustice, equality, and why a woman on a certain network decided to tell me to shut up and dribble."

"So, thank you, whatever her name is," he concluded. "I don't even know her name, but I appreciate it."

"Tiago says no one knows, and that's perfect," he added, laughing.

Ingraham was criticized by many for her derisive comments, while some opined that her critique was at least partly animated by racism against the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball player.

“It’s always unwise to seek political advice from someone who gets paid $100 million a year to bounce a ball," she said in the commentary on her show.

On Friday, she released a statement denying the charges of racism, saying there was “no racial intent in my remarks," and characterized the attacks on her as “an attempt to immunize entertainment and sports elites from scrutiny and criticism.”