With the election only two days away, candidates pulled out all the stops Sunday in an effort to drum up support. For Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, that meant bringing NBA superstar LeBron James up on stage at a rally in Cleveland.
The Cleveland Cavaliers legend introduced the former First Lady, U.S. senator, and Secretary of State with words of support, a strong reminder to vote, and a surprise guest — Cavs teammate and vocal Clinton supporter J.R. Smith: Don’t worry, J.R. kept his shirt on the whole time.
Clinton’s first campaign event featuring James has been hotly anticipated since the three-time NBA Finals MVP officially endorsed her in early October. It’s not clear if LeBron’s support will have any effect on the results in a crucial swing state with 18 electoral votes, but it certainly won’t hurt Clinton to have a very famous local hero and Northeast Ohio native on her side.
Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (R) looks on as LeBron James speaks during a campaign rally at the Cleveland Public Auditorium on November 6, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. With two days to go until election day, Hillary Clinton is campaigning in Florida and Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Clinton opted not to force basketball references into her speech on Sunday. Instead, she thanked James and Smith for their support and listed many of the policy issues she hopes to work on as president. She also made no reference to the day’s biggest news — FBI Director James Comey’s letter to lawmakers professing that further review of Clinton’s emails has yielded no grounds for prosecution.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump held a rally in Minnesota around the same time that Clinton was in Cleveland. No Timberwolves have been reported as in attendance.