US President Donald Trump has accused NBA star LeBron James of disrespecting the United States after video footage showed the Philadelphia 76ers player moving around during the national anthem.
James appeared to practice both a golf swing and basketball motions while the US national anthem was performed ahead of the 76ers’ season opener against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
In a post on social media, Trump criticised the 41-year-old forward.
He said: “While listening to our National Anthem, LeBron James disrespects our Country!
“LeBron James should apologize to all of those Great American Warriors and Heroes who died for the American Flag.”
Referring further to James, Trump added: “I said right from the beginning that he’s no good, a TOTAL DISGRACE.”
Video footage before the game showed James extending his arms and rotating his shoulders before miming a jump shot, while his teammates stood beside him with minimal movement.
James has not publicly commented on Trump’s latest statements. The exchange is the latest chapter in an ongoing dispute between Trump and James, who has regularly endorsed and campaigned for Trump’s political rivals since the 2016 US presidential election.
- 2018: Trump questioned James’s intelligence after the basketball star stated publicly that he would never sit across from him. In response that year, James accused Trump of giving racists “an opportunity to be out and outspoken without fear.”
- 2021: James suggested Trump’s rhetoric contributed to the attack on the US Capitol following the 2020 election victory of Joe Biden, whom James had endorsed.
- July 2026: When asked to choose between James and Michael Jordan as the greatest basketball player in history, Trump opted for Jordan, explaining: “I only like people that like me.”
The playing of the national anthem before major American sporting events has repeatedly served as a political flashpoint.
Trump previously criticised former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who began kneeling during the anthem in 2016 in protest against police brutality and racial injustice.
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