PHILADELPHIA — President Donald Trump on Thursday accused LeBron James of disrespecting the United States after the NBA star appeared to continue his warmups while the national anthem was performed before Philadelphia’s season opener on Tuesday.
“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! James appeared to practice a golf swing and jump shot as The Star-Spangled Banner was performed at Tuesday’s game in New York. James, starting his first season with Philadelphia, was lined up alongside teammates who mostly stood still during the anthem.
“I said right from the beginning that he’s no good, a TOTAL DISGRACE,” Trump said of James in a social media post sharing the video.
Then, after the game, James made a statement about Trump, saying: “This is a beautiful country and we’re never going to let one person dictate how beautiful and how powerful we are. “But I can make a greater impact off the floor right now, more than I can on the floor. And I want to continue to inspire people with the way I play the game of basketball. But there’s so many more things that I can do off the floor to help cultivate people, inspire people, bring people together, empower them.”
The 41-year-old James, in his record 24th NBA season, was set to make his home debut for the Sixers Thursday night against Cleveland. James showed determination to speak out on social issues and the nation’s political climate after Fox News host Laura Ingraham criticized the three-time NBA champion for his 2018 comments about social issues.
James was with Cleveland in 2017 when he made a statement during an NBA game with his shoes — one black, one white , with the word “equality” in capital gold letters on the back of each. “I still know what I do on the floor and obviously, I give everything to the game,” James said.
