Basketball player Royce White sported a pro-Trump message on his head during the latest Big3 League game Sunday night.
White, a former National Basketball Association (NBA) player who now serves as a co-captain of the “Power” team in the Big3 League founded in 2017 by musician Ice Cube, wrote the words “Trump won” on the side of his head during the game. His message echoes claims from former President Donald Trump that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him by widespread voter fraud despite a lack of substantial evidence backing up these claims.
Right-wing pundits quickly took to social media to celebrate the pro-Trump signal from White, who has been vocal about his conservative politics.
“Royce White knows what’s going on. Trump won. EVERYONE knows it,” tweeted former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who also claimed voter fraud after narrowly losing her election last November.
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images for BIG3
Steve Bannon, who served as a strategist to Trump, described White as an “American patriot” in a post to right-wing social media platform Gettr.
Others, however, offered a more critical take of the message.
“I thought the GOP want athletes to just “shut up and play”? See a lot of them celebrating Royce White’s nice sharpie-tattoo this morning…including loon @KariLake,” tweeted @cdavidsen23.
“Royce White is NOT a good person. Why is the @thebig3 platforming someone with the backstory/rapsheet this individual has? @icecube wanna explain this?” tweeted Isaiah Whitmore, former political director to Representative Ilhan Omar. White pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and theft charges in 2009, according to ESPN.
White has previously displayed political messages on his head during Big3 basketball games. Earlier in July, he wrote “Protect RFK Jr.,” a reference to Democratic presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr., who has earned praise from some conservatives over his stance on vaccinations.
“Protect RFK JR. I’m surprised they got up close on this… Sacred Honor! #Godspeed,” he White tweeted on July 2.
Newsweek reached out to the Big3 League for comment via its contact form.
What Are Royce White’s Political Views?
White has previously attempted to enter politics himself. During the 2022 midterms, he ran for Congress in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District as a Republican, a deeply Democratic district encompassing Minneapolis that is currently represented by progressive Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.
Ultimately, he lost the Republican primary to businesswoman Cicely Davis, who went on to lose the general election to Omar by nearly 50 points in November.
His campaign website described him as a candidate “fighting for freedom and liberty.” His campaign touted his stances opposing COVID-19 mandates and “globalists” as well as support for more police funding. He also led several “peaceful protests” in Minneapolis following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police.
