In a Truth Social post on Thursday, 22 October, Trump said James should apologize to the American warriors and heroes who died for the flag.
The clip shows James practicing a golf swing and a shot at the basket while the anthem played before the 76ers vs Knicks game at Madison Square Garden. Philadelphia won 106 to 100, with James scoring 14 points, per Il Fatto Quotidiano.
Trump first attacked James in 2018 after an interview, and called him racist on 24 July, according to Il Fatto Quotidiano. James backed Kamala Harris in 2024, according to ANSA.
Donald Trump attacked LeBron James on Thursday, 22 October, in a post on Truth Social. The post came with a video of James moving during the national anthem, and Trump said the basketball star had shown disrespect toward the country.
“While listening to our National Anthem, LeBron James disrespects our Country”
Trump also said James should apologize to the American warriors and heroes who died for the flag. The post called James's conduct a total shame.
“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!”
The incident took place before the season opener between the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York. The 76ers are James's new team, according to ANSA. Video showed him practicing a golf swing and a shot at the basket while the anthem played, and fans criticized him online for it. Il Fatto Quotidiano reports that Philadelphia won the game 106 to 100, with James scoring 14 points.
James has been a public critic of Trump for years. According to ANSA, he backed Kamala Harris in 2024, condemned the January 6 assault on Congress, and protested the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Il Fatto Quotidiano reports that Trump first attacked James in 2018, after an interview James gave, and that on 24 July, in his second term, Trump called James racist when asked about a comparison between James and Michael Jordan.
Mediafax reports that Trump has previously criticized athletes who knelt during the anthem, calling the gesture a lack of respect, and said NBA audiences were falling because of player protests. James has answered several times, arguing that Trump uses sport to divide people.
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Trump said on Truth Social that James disrespected the country by warming up during the national anthem before a 76ers and Knicks game at Madison Square Garden.
AI text based on reports by ANSA.it, Mediafax.ro, Η Ναυτεμπορική and other publishers. Published .