LeBron James appears unfazed by the fact that the United States president has expressed displeasure towards him.
The Philadelphia 76ers’ star attracted attention for his actions during the national anthem prior to his team’s season opener against the New York Knicks on Tuesday. As “The Star Spangled Banner” played, James engaged in rotational exercises and went through shooting motions while lined up alongside his teammates.
Although it was a brief moment in a larger pregame ceremony at Madison Square Garden, clips of the incident started circulating widely on social media by Wednesday and caught the eye of President Donald Trump the following day.
On Truth Social, Trump condemned the four-time NBA champion:
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! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Trump further criticized James at a rally in Sioux City, Iowa, that Thursday evening, labeling James’ actions as a “golf swing” and referring to it as “a big scandal kind of story.”
Neither James nor the Sixers seemed to be disturbed by these remarks. In a press conference before Thursday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse brushed off Trump’s comments, calling them just another external distraction for Philadelphia, which started the season with championship aspirations after bolstering the team with James and Jaylen Brown alongside an already strong core.
Nurse’s thoughts:
“I think that goes right in with other outside noise we’ve already had,” Nurse said before the game. “I keep saying the same thing. 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.”
After the game, which featured a remarkable comeback victory against the Cavaliers, James was also questioned about Trump. His reaction was a light chuckle followed by a brief comment:
“Must have been a slow news day at the office. Slow news day at the office.”
This isn’t the first time LeBron James and President Donald Trump have had a disagreement.
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / REUTERS)
James refrained from performing similar actions before the anthem on Thursday but could still be seen making some hip swings at one point.
This marks yet another chapter in the ongoing tension between James and Trump. Their rivalry became pronounced when James referred to Trump as a “bum” after the president attempted to rescind the White House invitation extended to the NBA champion Golden State Warriors, realizing that Stephen Curry and his teammates would not be attending.
James has previously expressed his political views outspokenly and has found himself often at odds with Trump, even endorsing all three of Trump’s opponents in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 elections.
