Trump Accuses LeBron James of Disrespecting the US

President Trump on Thursday accused LeBron James of disrespecting the United States after the NBA star appeared to continue his warmups while the national anthem was performed before Philadelphia's season opener on Tuesday.

• "I said right from the beginning that he's no good, a TOTAL DISGRACE," Trump said of James in a Truth Social post sharing the video. "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!"

James appeared to practice a golf swing and jump shot as "The Star-Spangled Banner" was performed Tuesday at New York's Madison Square Garden, the AP reports. James, starting his first season with Philadelphia, was lined up alongside teammates who mostly stood still during the anthem. Trump and James have been critical of each other for years, occasionally trading public swipes. "It must be a slow news day at the office," James said. "Slow news day at the office."

• The BBC reports that James has endorsed, and sometimes campaigned for, the president's political opponents going back to 2016. In July, asked whether James or Michael Jordan was the greatest basketball player in history, Trump picked Jordan, saying, "I only like people that like me."

• James was with Cleveland in 2017 when he made a statement with his shoes—one black, one white, with the word "equality" in capital gold letters on the back of each. Then, after the game, James made a statement about Trump, saying: "This is a beautiful country and we're never going to let one person dictate how beautiful and how powerful we are."
• James was named the AP's Male Athlete of the Year in 2020 in large part for leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a championship and helping to persuade many people who had never voted—at the peak of the Black Lives Matter movement—to head to the polls.
• The 41-year-old James, in his record 24th NBA season, had 17 points and 10 rebounds in the biggest comeback win of his career, 114-106 over the Cavaliers in Philadelphia's home opener on Thursday night. The Sixers rallied from a 29-point deficit. James put his arms behind his back and bowed his head while Boyz II Men sang the anthem ahead of the game. James was introduced to a roaring ovation from the crowd of roughly 20,000.