President Donald Trump on Thursday criticized Philadelphia 76ers forward LeBron James over a short video that appears to show James stretching during the national anthem before his Sixers debut against the New York Knicks on Tuesday, ABC News reported.
“While listening to our National Anthem, LeBron James disrespects our Country!” Trump wrote in a social media post that included the clip, which carried overlaid text alleging James was “working on his golf swing,” according to ABC News.
In the same post, Trump added: “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 our Country stands for!” ABC News reported.
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The video shows James performing arm stretches and then a motion resembling a basketball shooting follow-through while the anthem plays, according to ABC News’ description of the footage.
Trump’s criticism is the latest in a long-running public feud between the two. ABC News notes Trump first attacked James during his first administration, disparaging the four-time NBA champion’s intelligence after an interview James gave to CNN.
More recently, Trump speculated in July — after James signed with the 76ers — that James might be “a racist,” saying, “I think LeBron is, maybe he’s a racist, but maybe he doesn’t like Trump, I don’t know,” and adding, “I only like people who like me, so I would say Michael Jordan all the way,” ABC News reported.
According to ABC News, James had not commented on Trump’s Thursday post, and representatives for James did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment on Thursday.
James has been publicly critical of Trump in the past. After Trump rescinded a White House invitation to the Golden State Warriors in 2017, James told reporters, “He doesn’t understand how many kids, no matter the race, look up to the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,” ABC News reported. James also said at the time, “This is a beautiful country and we’re never going to let one person dictate how beautiful and how powerful we are.”
On the court, James scored 14 points for the 76ers in their 106-100 victory over the Knicks — the defending NBA champions — in the opener on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 20, 2026, ABC News reported. The four-time NBA champion is scheduled to make his home debut for Philadelphia against his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, on Thursday night, the network added.
