President Donald Trump on Thursday accused LeBron James of disrespecting the United States after the 76ers star appeared to continue his warmups while the national anthem was performed before Philadelphia's season opener Tuesday against the Knicks in New York. James appeared to practice a golf swing and jump shot during "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Madison Square Garden, while teammates mostly stood still.
"I said right from the beginning that he's no good, a TOTAL DISGRACE," Trump said in a social media post sharing the video. "LeBron James should apologize to all of those Great American Warriors and Heroes who died for the American Flag." Representatives for James did not respond to ESPN's requests for comment.
The clash fits a long history between the two. In 2017, James made a statement with mismatched shoes reading "equality" and later said, "This is a beautiful country and we're never going to let one person dictate how beautiful and how powerful we are." He had also called Trump "a bum" on Twitter. Trump himself has faced criticism over his own anthem conduct, including a 2020 Super Bowl watch party video showing him gesturing as others stood with hands over hearts.
James, 41, in his record-24th NBA season, was set to make his home debut for the Sixers on Thursday night against Cleveland. He has long said athletes should speak on social issues, rejecting the idea that he should "shut up and dribble" after criticism from Fox News host Laura Ingraham in 2018.
Source: ESPN NBA · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing