Report: Barack Obama advised LeBron James and a small group of NBA players to resume playing

The Athletic

"Former President Barack Obama spoke to James, National Basketball Players Association president Chris Paul and a small group of players late Wednesday evening, advising them to play and utilize the opportunity to contextualize action they want in order to play," reports The Athletic's Shams Charania. "James, Paul and others wanted to seek the guidance of the 44th President of the United States (2009-2017), and on the call broached forming a committee for player action that they want Obama involved in, sources told The Athletic. The call took place following a contentious players meeting in which Lakers and Clippers players voted to refuse to play the remainder of the season. After lengthy dialogue into Thursday morning, both franchise’s players had agreed to pursue a restart to the postseason should the players union and NBA work toward increased social justice measures." ALSO: Golden State Warriors player Draymond Green joins CNN as a contributor.