Trump calls LeBron James a 'disgrace' over anthem warm-up video
- Trump shared a video of James moving during the US anthem before the 76ers' season opener.
- James shrugged it off after a win: "It must be a slow news day at the office."
- Sixers coach Nick Nurse said the team tunes out outside noise.
US President Donald Trump has attacked basketball star LeBron James over a video showing James doing warm-up movements while the American national anthem played before his Philadelphia 76ers opened their season against the New York Knicks on Tuesday.
In a post on his Truth Social network, Trump wrote that James "disrespects our Country" and called him "a TOTAL DISGRACE". He also said James should apologise to the soldiers and others "who died for the American Flag".
The clip Trump shared carried its own caption: "LeBron working on his golf swing pregame." It showed James making sideways swing motions and shooting movements. It was not clear exactly when the video was filmed.
Trump raised it again at a campaign rally in Iowa on Thursday night, calling James's actions "a big scandal kind of a story", according to Punch.
James: 'Slow news day'
James, 41, did not take the criticism seriously. After the Sixers came from behind to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106 in Philadelphia, he told reporters: "It must be a slow news day at the office."
He is starting a record-extending 24th NBA season, now with his fourth team.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse said the president's comments were the kind of distraction he has trained his players to ignore. "I think that goes right in with other outside noise we've already had," Nurse said. He added that the team's focus and intent had been "outstanding".
Not the first time
Trump has criticised athletes before, particularly Black athletes, over how they behave during the US anthem. In his first term, he singled out NFL star Colin Kaepernick, who knelt during the "Star-Spangled Banner" to protest racial injustice and police brutality.
Trump and James have exchanged criticism in the past. This latest row is unlikely to affect Nigerian fans directly, but the NBA is one of the most followed foreign leagues in Nigeria, and James remains its biggest name.
For now, the story stays in the American political arena. James and the Sixers continue their season, and the president's remarks are being treated by the team as noise from outside the court.
