President Donald Trump criticized LeBron James on Truth Social after a video appeared to show the NBA star practicing a golf swing during the national anthem. According to the BBC, James also seemed to rehearse jump shots while the song played ahead of the 76ers’ season opener against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Teammates lined up beside him mostly stood still.
Trump wrote, “While listening to our National Anthem, LeBron James disrespects our Country!” He added, “I said right from the beginning that he’s no good, a TOTAL DISGRACE.” Trump also demanded that James apologize to the “Great American Warriors and Heroes” he cited, along with everything he described the country as standing for.
The clip, which appears to have been filmed from the stands, shows James swinging an imaginary club before switching to a shooting motion. The opener was his debut with Philadelphia. The 76ers won 106-100, and James finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. The night also marked the Knicks’ championship ring ceremony.
Trump and James have a long public history
The president and James have criticized each other publicly for years. Since the 2016 election, James has publicly supported Trump’s political opponents. During Trump’s first term, Trump questioned James’s intelligence after James declared he “would never sit across” from him. James responded that Trump’s rhetoric gave racists “an opportunity to be out and outspoken without fear.”
James has also linked Trump’s rhetoric to the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol after the 2020 election. James had endorsed Joe Biden, who won that election. In July, James announced his move to the 76ers and called it his “last decision,” Newsweek reported. He wrote, “I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team.” He added that he had seriously considered retiring before deciding to keep playing.
The same day, Trump was asked to weigh in on Jordan versus James as the sport’s best player. He called Michael Jordan a friend and remarked of James, “maybe he’s a racist, but maybe he doesn’t like Trump.” Trump added, “I only like people that like me.” OutKick reported that James performed the same golf-swing routine during last year’s Christmas Day anthem as a Laker. The outlet also recalled a USC game featuring his son Bronny, when James arrived during the anthem and sat while the arena stood.
Fans and athletes at U.S. professional games are generally expected to stand during the anthem. It has been a political flash point before, including when Colin Kaepernick sat and later knelt during it, a protest that Trump criticized. Trump later remarked that Kaepernick should “get another shot” in the NFL. Trump has also criticized other public figures by name recently, as when he called Ilhan Omar terrible after a federal search of her home.
Published: Oct 22, 2026 04:44 pm