Did LeBron James call White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt “KKK Barbie”? Photo credits: Imagn

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Did LeBron James call White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt “KKK Barbie”? A recent Facebook post claims so, but a quick fact check revealed the authenticity of the “news.”

A Facebook page called “America’s Last Line Of Defense,” with more than 300,000 followers, recently posted news about LeBron James and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

The image in the post read: “Karoline Leavitt struck back at LeBron James after he referred to her as “KKK Barbie” in an interview.

‘My family fought to end slavery,’ she clapped back, ‘While yours came here from Jamaica in the 1930s.’

LeBron hasn’t responded.”

The caption said: “LeBron messed with the wrong young woman. She did her research and put him right in his place.”

Did LeBron James call White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt “KKK Barbie”? Photo credits: Imagn
As checked by Lead Stories, a search on Google News for any articles referencing “KKK Barbie” turned up nothing relevant (you can see the archive here), suggesting the alleged interview never occurred.

A transparency check also revealed that the Facebook page that first circulated the meme is managed by “Busta Troll,” the alias of Christopher Blair. Blair, a self-described liberal from Maine, has spent years operating websites designed to bait conservatives with fabricated news stories, hoping they’ll unwittingly share his content.

Apr 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots against Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) during the second half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
In a 2018 profile, the BBC dubbed Blair as “the Godfather of fake news,” calling him one of the most prolific creators of disinformation worldwide.

Although his sites usually include multiple disclaimers that they are satirical, his articles often hint at their fictitious nature—through category labels marking them as fiction, “source” links that lead to humorous or offensive images, or an “S for Satire” watermark on photos. Characters named “Art Tubolls” (an anagram of “Busta Troll”) frequently appear, and he often honors two late friends by naming characters “Joe Barron” and “Sandy Batt.”

Blair’s pieces are frequently republished by spam-driven overseas networks aiming to profit from clickbait headlines targeted at American conservatives.

Fans Think LeBron James Agrees That Draft Lottery Has Been Rigged

Shortly after the Dallas Mavericks won the lottery for the NBA Draft, fans were quick to “decode” the X post of Lebron James that came right after the result.

Apr 27, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts to a replay that confirms he fouled Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) in the fourth quarter during game four of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
In his post, James simply posted multiple laughing emojis, which fans then decoded to mean him laughing at the result of the draft. With this considered, an interview with Pat McAfee earlier in March resurfaced where Lebron also talked about a “pattern” in the NBA Draft.

“During the lottery drop, Cleveland got the No. 1 pick,” James said. “I just don’t think that was – what a coincidence. Let’s keep LeBron home. You know what? Patrick Ewing to the Knicks. Derrick Rose to the Bulls. I understand the assignment, guys.”

Apr 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) controls the ball against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9) during the first half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Fans pointed to a pattern where teams that lost major players—like the Cavaliers after LeBron James in 2010 and the Pelicans after Anthony Davis in 2019—miraculously won the lottery soon after.

For more basketball content, click on Hardwood Heroics. Sabel Reyes can be reached through [email protected]. Other websites under the Sports Heroics umbrella are Gridiron Heroics and Wisconsin Heroics.

Sabel has been working as a field reporter for People’s Television Network (PTV), mainly about the Philippine Basketball Association since 2016 and has been elevated to Executive Producer for sports in 2022. Aside from being on top of the Philippine sports scene, she is also a running enthusiast. You can also follow her on X at @SabelReyes2 and Instagram at @msabelreyes.