"He's No Good, A Total Disgrace": Donald Trump Accuses LeBron James of Disrespecting US Anthem

Donald Trump has gone after LeBron James over a video involving the US national anthem. The Philadelphia 76ers forward appeared to loosen up while The Star-Spangled Banner played before Tuesday's season opener in New York. Trump shared the clip on Thursday and told James to apologize. James had not responded publicly as of Thursday afternoon. Trump and James have exchanged public jabs for years. James, 41, is in a record 24th NBA season and is new to Philadelphia. His home debut for the Sixers was set for Thursday night against Cleveland.

Trump Takes Aim At LeBron James With ‘Disgrace' Remark Over Anthem

The video Trump posted shows LeBron James appearing to practice a golf swing and a jump shot while the anthem played. Teammates lined up beside him mostly stood still. Trump wrote he had felt this way from the start and called James “a TOTAL DISGRACE.”

The president also said James had disrespected the country and should apologize to the “Great American Warriors and Heroes” who died for the flag. The wording is blunt.

The 41-year-old forward is the only player Trump named. Philadelphia still won the opener 106-100 over the Knicks in New York, but the anthem clip is what the president chose to share.

What Is The History Between Trump And James?

One flashpoint came in 2017. During a game for Cleveland that year, James wore one black shoe and one white shoe, with the word equality in gold capitals on the back of each. Afterward, he said no single person would decide how beautiful and powerful the country is. He also called Trump a bum on Twitter that season, and said the president did not seem to understand how much young people of any background look to the presidency for leadership.

Fox News host Laura Ingraham criticized James in 2018 over comments on social issues. James answered he would not stay quiet, saying he means too much to young people. He pointed to Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Bill Russell and Jackie Robinson as athletes who spoke up long before him. In 2020, the Associated Press named him its Male Athlete of the Year after he led the Lakers to a title and helped push first-time voters to the polls. In 2021, soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimovic said athletes should stay out of political causes, and James rejected that view too.

Trump has a record here too, and it goes beyond basketball. In 2020, he picked Michael Jordan over James in the greatest-player debate and said Jordan was not political. Earlier this year, during the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, he called freestyle skier Hunter Hess a loser on Truth Social. Hess had said he did not feel he represented everything happening in the United States under the current administration. Trump argued Hess should not have tried out for the team.