Entertainment Sports LeBron James Says He's No Longer a Cowboys Fan After Team Attitude on Kneeling Protests James says he’s now a fan of his home team, the Cleveland Browns By Kimberlee Speakman Kimberlee Speakman Kimberlee Speakman is a digital writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2022. Her work has previously appeared in Forbes and she has also worked in broadcast television as a reporter for Hawaii-based news station KHON2 News. People Editorial Guidelines Published on October 29, 2022 06:15PM EDT Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty The Dallas Cowboys have lost a major fan: LeBron James. The NBA great was asked by his friend and business partner Maverick Carter during an announcement of their new Thursday Night Football stream on Instagram Live whether he "was still a Cowboys fan." James responded that he "had to sit put" on his once favorite team due to the organization's response to players protesting on the field during the national anthem. "It was just a lot of things that [were] going on when guys were kneeling, and freedom of speech and wanting to do it in a very peaceful manner." James said. "...The organization was like 'if you do that around here then you won't ever play for this franchise again,' and I just didn't think that was appropriate." G Fiume/Getty LeBron James Agrees to 2-Year $97M Deal with Lakers Meaning He Could Potentially Play with Son Bronny Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has commented several times over the years that the organization will not tolerate players "disrespecting" the national anthem or the flag. In 2017, Jones kneeled alongside players during the national anthem in response to former President Trump's criticism of players protesting during the anthem, according to CNN. However, Jones changed his tune weeks later saying, "if we are disrespecting the flag then we won't play. Period," per the Dallas Morning News. Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Lose Third Straight Game to Fall to 3-5 James said he still likes individual players on the team including linebacker Micah Parsons, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and running back Ezekiel Elliott, but is now "all in" for the Cleveland Browns. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. While James had garnered a reputation for being one of the Cowboy's most avid fans – having been spotted on the sidelines of Cowboys games and sporting the team's merch – Cleveland is his "home team" as he was born in Akron, a few miles from the city.