President Trump on Thursday accused NBA superstar LeBron James of disrespecting the national anthem after cameras caught him stretching and mimicking basketball shots during the national anthem before the Philadelphia 76ers season opener at Madison Square Garden.
“While listening to our national anthem, LeBron disrespects our country,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I said right from the beginning that he’s no good, a total disgrace. LeBron James should apologize to all those Great American Warriors and Heroes who died for the American Flag and all that our country stands for!”
The president attached a video to his post showing James swaying back and forth and practicing his free-throw motion during the national anthem to loosen up before the 76ers game against the New York Knicks.
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The 76ers won the game 106-100 over the defending NBA champion Knicks.
The bad blood between Mr. Trump and James stretches back nearly a decade.
In 2017, James called the president a “bum” for withdrawing an invitation for the Golden State Warriors to visit the White House. A year later, Mr. Trump mocked James’ intelligence following a CNN interview in which the NBA star accused him of using sports to divide Americans.
During the 2020 presidential campaign, James endorsed Joseph R. Biden.
Mr. Trump has also weighed in on the great debate over whether James or Michael Jordan is basketball’s greatest player. The president has repeatedly said he believes Jordan has that title.
Mr. Trump has a history of blasting athletes for what he says is disrespectful behavior during the national anthem. During his first term as president in 2017, he criticized NFL players who took a knee during the anthem, saying it was “very important” that they stand for it.
The 41-year-old James, meanwhile, has a history of weighing in on social issues and the nation’s political climate.
“We will definitely not shut up and dribble,” James said in 2018 after Fox News host Laura Ingraham criticized his activism. “I will definitely not do that. I mean too much to society. I mean too much to the youth. I mean too much to so many kids that feel like they don’t have a way out and they need someone to help lead them out of the situation they’re in.”
James defended his right to speak out after he was named Male Athlete of the Year in 2020 by the Associated Press.
“I still know what I do on the floor and obviously, I give everything to the game,” James said. “But I can make a greater impact off the floor right now, more than I can on the floor. And I want to continue to inspire people with the way I play the game of basketball. But there’s so many more things that I can do off the floor to help cultivate people, inspire people, bring people together, empower them.”
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