BEDMINSTER, NEW JERSEY - JULY 28: (L-R) Team Captain Bryson DeChambeau of Crushers GC interacts with former U.S. President Donald Trump on the fourth hole during the pro-am prior to the LIV Golf Invitational - Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on July 28, 2022 in Bedminster, New Jersey. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/LIV Golf via Getty Images)
LeBron James had a short and pointed response for President Donald Trump, who blasted the Philadelphia 76ers star for appearing to warm up during the national anthem before his Sixers debut.
“Must’ve been a slow news day at the office,” James told reporters with a smirk on Thursday night after the 76ers’ 114-106 home-opener win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. He offered no further comment.
The controversy began Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, where the 76ers spoiled the Knicks’ championship banner night with a 106-100 win. Video from the pregame ceremony showed James mimicking a golf swing and a jump shot as the anthem played, while his teammates mostly stood still.
Trump shared the clip on Truth Social on Thursday, accusing James of disrespecting the country. Calling the four-time NBA champion a “TOTAL DISGRACE,” Trump said James should apologize to American service members who died for the flag.
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The president doubled down at a campaign rally in Sioux City, Iowa, later that evening, mocking James for practicing his golf swing during the anthem and calling it a major scandal.
James appeared noticeably more still during the anthem before Thursday’s game at Philadelphia’s Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The anthem flap capped an eventful first week for James in Philadelphia. During the season opener, the 41-year-old got into a heated back-and-forth with Knicks fans seated along the baseline, an exchange that reportedly prompted Knicks superfan Spike Lee to step in and help calm tensions. James finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in his Sixers debut.
James signed with Philadelphia this summer after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers, taking a massive pay cut on a two-year, $8 million deal to join a roster featuring Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown.
The latest exchange is just the newest chapter in a long-running feud between the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and the president.
In 2017, James called Trump a “bum” after the president rescinded the White House invitation to the Golden State Warriors. The following year, James said he would never sit across from Trump and accused him of emboldening racists. Trump fired back, questioning James’ intelligence, and later said he preferred Michael Jordan.
In 2020, after Trump said he turned off games when NBA players knelt during the anthem to protest police brutality, James responded that the league would not be sad about losing his viewership.
Trump’s latest criticism drew support from some fans online, with one viral post arguing that Jordan never divided people politically the way James has.
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