LeBron James has mocked Donald Trump after the president labeled him a ‘total disgrace’ for practicing his golf swing during the national anthem.
Earlier this week, footage of the Philadelphia 76ers star quickly went viral after their victory over the NBA champion New York Knicks on the first day of the new season.
It showed James pretending to swing a golf club and practicing his free throw technique while The Star-Spangled Banner was sung at Madison Square Garden.
Trump, a longtime critic of James, lashed out at the NBA legend in an explosive Truth Social post on Thursday.
‘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,’ the president said. ‘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, 41, was asked about the president’s comments following the 76ers’ stunning comeback win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. ‘It must be a slow news day at the office, you know,’ he said.
LeBron James has mocked Donald Trump after the president labeled him a ‘total disgrace’
The president blasted the NBA legend for practicing his golf swing during the national anthem
Trump doubled down on his criticism of the NBA superstar during a rally in Iowa on Thursday night.
‘During the national anthem, he’s practicing his golf swing… what the hell is that?’ he said, while the crowd booed James. ‘It’s a big scandal… what it’s all about? I don’t understand it.’
The comments mark the latest chapter in a long-standing feud between the four-time NBA champion and Trump, which dates back to James labeling him a ‘bum’ in 2017.
Earlier this year, Trump launched an astonishing attack on James just hours after the 41-year-old revealed he’d be signing with the 76ers.
Just hours after LeBron’s 24th season in the NBA was confirmed, Trump was asked to weigh in on who holds the title of the greatest basketball player of all time.
‘Michael Jordan’s a guy that’s a friend of mine, I’ve played golf with him,’ Trump said.
‘He’s a really good guy and I think LeBron is – maybe he’s a racist, but maybe he doesn’t like Trump, I don’t know – but I only like people that like me, so I would say Michael Jordan all the way.’
James, 41, has frequently used his platform to criticize Trump, previously endorsing Democratic candidates and launching voting-rights initiatives across the country.
Trump launched an astonishing attack on James this summer, claiming ‘maybe he’s a racist’
Trump and James previously traded verbal barbs on social media back in 2018
Their bad blood spilled into the public eye during Trump’s first presidency after he withdrew a White House invitation extended to Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry over his hesitation to visit.
Outraged by the gesture, James immediately jumped to his rival’s defense, tweeting at Trump: ‘U bum, Steph Curry already said he ain’t going! So, therefore ain’t no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!’
The public spat escalated in 2018 when Trump announced he was pre-emptively banning both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors from visiting the nation’s capital following that year’s NBA Finals.
Refusing to be fazed, James swiftly shut down the snub, declaring at the time: ‘Winning a championship is way bigger than getting invited to the White House, especially with him in it.’
Later that year, James voiced his frustration with the President’s leadership during an interview with ESPN, admitting it made him ‘sick’ to see how Trump handled the moral authority of the Oval Office.
‘He doesn’t understand the power that he has for being the leader of this beautiful country,’ James said at the time. ‘He doesn’t understand how many kids, no matter the race, look up to the President of the United States for guidance, for leadership, for words of encouragement. He doesn’t understand that, and that’s what makes me more sick than anything.’
James’s political opposition to Trump stretches back to 2016, when he penned an emotional op-ed for his local newspaper, the Akron Beacon Journal, endorsing Hillary Clinton for president.
Reflecting on his childhood in a single-parent home, James argued that Clinton was the only candidate who truly understood the plight of underprivileged youth, praising her as a champion for children alongside his ‘good friend’ Barack Obama.
James’ political opposition to Trump stretches back to 2016, when he penned an emotional op-ed for his local newspaper, the Akron Beacon Journal, endorsing Hillary Clinton for president
James and the Sixers spoiled the Knicks’ banner raising party with a 106-100 victory Tuesday
James joined the Sixers over the summer after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency.
On Thursday night, boos rained down before halftime of James’ first home game – before the 76ers mounted the biggest comeback of his glittering career to secure victory.
Against the Cleveland Cavaliers, James’ former team and hometown franchise, Philadelphia fell 27 points down inside the second quarter.
That prompted some fans inside Xfinity Mobile Arena to boo their team before halftime. At one point, Cleveland’s lead was 29 and ESPN analytics gave Philadelphia just a 1.3 percent chance of victory.
But the Sixers refused to cave and turned the game on its head in the second half. After Philadelphia’s biggest comeback of the modern era, James and Co won 114-106.
‘It was everything that I dreamed of and more,’ the four-time NBA champion said. ‘The boos, that was amazing. We deserved it. And then we got the cheers and almost blew the roof off this thing tonight in a good way. So that was a hell of a night.’
