US President Donald Trump lashed out at NBA superstar LeBron James on Thursday, calling out what he saw as disrespectful behavior during the playing of the national anthem. This isn’t just some offhand comment, either. Trump posted a video of the basketball legend, now with the Philadelphia 76ers, doing apparent warm-up movements while lined up with his teammates before their season opener against the New York Knicks on Tuesday.
The “Total Disgrace” Label Hits the Sixers
Trump did not hold back, taking to his Truth Social network to blast James. “While listening to our National Anthem, LeBron James disrespects our Country! I said right from the beginning that he’s no good, a TOTAL DISGRACE,” Trump wrote. Talk about pulling no punches! He even demanded an apology from James: “LeBron James should apologize to all of those Great American Warriors and Heroes who died for the American Flag, and all that our Country stands for!” The video Trump used, which had an internal caption saying “LeBron working on his golf swing pregame,” actually showed James doing lateral swing motions and basketball shooting movements. Trump doubled down at a rally in Iowa, calling James’s actions “a big scandal kind of a story.”
LeBron Shrugs It Off: “Slow News Day”
If you know LeBron, you know he is no stranger to trading barbs with Trump, and this time was no different. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer completely shrugged off the latest criticism. “It must be a slow news day at the office,” James said after the Sixers pulled off an epic 114-106 comeback win against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Philadelphia. He said it twice, just to make sure the message landed: “Slow news day at the office.” Seriously, what a classic LeBron response, right? This guy is 41 years old and entering a record-extending 24th NBA season, now with his fourth team. Sixers coach Nick Nurse backed his star, stating these comments are just the kind of “outside noise” he is schooling his team to tune out. “I think that goes right in with other outside noise we’ve already had,” Nurse explained. “All I really care about is getting to the practice floor, getting them in the film room, getting them to the game floor. The focus that they’ve had and the intent and all the stuff like that has been outstanding.”
Trump has a history of criticizing athletes, especially Black athletes, for their actions during the national anthem. During his first term, he famously singled out NFL star Colin Kaepernick for kneeling during the “Star-Spangled Banner” to protest racial injustice and police brutality. It seems some things never change, and LeBron is clearly not losing any sleep over it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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