Philadelphia 76ers forward (weird, right) LeBron James finally responded to criticism from President Donald Trump… well, sorta.
The POTUS isn’t one to shy away from calling anyone out, and in the latest example, Trump has taken aim at future Hall of Famer and current 76ers star: LeBron James. The soon-to-be 42-year-old moved from Los Angles to Philadelphia to presumably finish out of his career, and it doesn’t matter where he plays basketball… wherever he is, that’s where the spotlight is.
So when the 76ers opened up their season the other night, and “The Star Spangled Banner” played before the contest, people noticed when it appeared as though he was practicing his golf swing during the performance (given that LeBron is right handed, it could have also just been some kind of a stretching technique). Regardless, should probably save it for after the anthem… is that too much to ask?
The Commander-in-Chief took to Truth Social and launched this scathing takedown of the NBA superstar:
“While listening to our National Anthem, LeBron James disrespects our country. I said right from the beginning that he’s no good, a TOTAL DISGRACE. LeBron James should apologize to all of those great American warriors and heroes who died for the American Flag, and all that the country stands for.”
President Trump sure knows how to get a social media discourse going.
Granted, it would be ideal for LeBron James and the other players in the NBA to stand at attention for the couple of minutes that the national anthem plays. At the same time… he wasn’t the only one “stretching” during the “The Star Spangled Banner.” But he is LeBron James, and even though he’s over two decades into his career, his name still holds a lot of weight in the sports world.
In other words, all eyes are on him, all the time.
After the 76ers next game, James was in the locker room speaking with the media after a double-double performance. Though he did field some questions about how he played, one reporter changed things up and asked if he was aware of the criticism that was directed at him from President Trump.
LeBron smiled when he heard the question, and decided to not give the inquiry much attention. Instead, he somewhat shrugged it off and suggested that it must have been a “slow news day” for the president:
“Yeah, must be a slow news day at the office, you know? Slow news day in the office.”
It’s not the first time that Donald Trump and LeBron James haven’t seen eye to eye, and if I had to guess, it certainly won’t be the last either.
The POTUS doubled down on the criticism during a rally yesterday, calling LeBron’s golf swing practice a “big scandal” and asking rally attendees what the professional athlete was thinking:
“What about LeBron James? Did you see that deal? During the national anthem, he’s practicing his golf swing. I said, ‘What the hell is that?’ It’s a big scandal kind of a story. What’s it all about? I don’t understand.”
Guess we’ll see if this feud continues…
