LeBron James’ debut with the 76ers caught Donald Trump’s attention for all the wrong reasons.
The NBA star irked the President by miming shooting movements and swinging his arms during the national anthem before tip-off.
“While listening to our National Anthem, LeBron James disrespects our Country,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post alongside video of James during Avery Wilson’s rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
“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!”
Neither James nor the 76ers have addressed Trump’s denunciation publicly.
Trump has long been a critic of athletes for their actions during the anthem, notably Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling and canceling the Eagles’ 2018 Super Bowl visit to the White House over their disagreement that players should stand for the song.
It’s the latest in a resurgence of anthem-related issues for athletes.
The WNBA’s Valkyries and Dream have come under fire for jogging off the court before the anthem for the first three games of the league’s Finals.
Both teams claim they’ve been doing so all season, if not longer.
“We’ve been doing that,” Valkyries guard Veronica Burton told reporters before Game 2. “That’s just our pregame routine. We’ve been doing that since last year.”
While the WNBA is one of several leagues that does not require players to stand for the anthem, the NBA and NFL do — with the NFL requiring players and personnel to stand on the sideline with an option to remain in the locker room if they choose to.
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