US President Donald Trump has called LeBron James a “TOTAL DISGRACE” and demanded an apology after the Philadelphia 76ers star was filmed practising golf swings during the national anthem before his Sixers debut.
Trump took aim at James in a Truth Social post on Thursday (US time), two days after the 41-year-old appeared to rehearse a golf swing and shooting motions while the Star-Spangled Banner was performed at Madison Square Garden before Philadelphia’s season opener against the New York Knicks, the BBC reported.
Video of the moment shows James moving through the motions while most of his teammates, lined up beside him, stand still.
What Trump said
“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. 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!” Trump wrote, as quoted by Fox News’ OutKick.
LeBron responds
James brushed off the criticism after the 76ers’ home opener on Thursday night (US time), The Associated Press reported.
“It must be a slow news day at the office,” James said. “Slow news day at the office.”
Trump doubled down at a campaign rally in Sioux City, Iowa, later on Thursday night. “He’s practicing his golf swing. I said what the hell is that,” he told the crowd, according to AP.
Read more: NBA Opening Night: Knicks Raise Banner as LeBron’s 76ers Visit
It is not the first time James has gone through a golf-swing routine during the anthem. OutKick noted he did the same while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day last year.
A long-running feud
The pair have traded criticism for years. James has publicly backed Trump’s political opponents since the 2016 presidential election, and in 2018 Trump suggested James was not intelligent after the star said he “would never sit across” from him, according to the BBC.
In July, when asked to choose between James and Michael Jordan as the greatest player of all time, Trump picked Jordan, saying: “I only like people that like me.”
The national anthem has been a flashpoint in US sport before, most notably when former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat and later knelt during the anthem in 2016 in protest against police brutality and racism.
James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer with more than 40,000 points, signed a two-year deal with Philadelphia in July after leaving the Lakers. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds in his home debut as the Sixers rallied from 29 points down to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106, the biggest comeback win of his career.
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