Trump calls on LeBron James to apologize over movements during national anthem

What Trump said

President Donald Trump criticized LeBron James on Thursday after footage from the Philadelphia 76ers’ season opener showed the basketball star moving during the U.S. national anthem. Trump shared the video on social media, accused James of disrespecting the country and called on him to apologize to American military heroes. The accusation is Trump’s assessment of the footage, not an explanation James has given for his actions. ^{[1] [2]}

In the post, Trump called James a “TOTAL DISGRACE.” He said the player should apologize to those who had died for the flag and what the country stands for. The remarks turned a short pregame clip into another public dispute between two figures who have criticized each other before. Trump did not point to a statement from James describing the movements as a protest. ^{[1] [3]}

What the video shows

The moment occurred before Philadelphia played the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. James was standing in a line with teammates while “The Star-Spangled Banner” was performed. The clip shows him swinging or stretching his arms and then mimicking a basketball shooting motion. Associated Press reporting described a motion resembling a golf swing as well; most of the teammates beside him stood still. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Those visible movements are the basis for the criticism, but the video alone does not establish what James intended. ABC News reported Thursday evening that he had yet to comment on Trump’s remarks and that his representatives had not immediately answered its request for comment. Reuters said a 76ers representative had not immediately responded to its inquiry. Without James’s account, any claim that he meant to make a political statement would go beyond the reported facts. ^{[1] [2]}

The game was James’s debut with the 76ers after joining the team for the new season. Philadelphia beat New York 106–100, and James scored 14 points. The play on the court and the anthem footage became separate subjects of attention after Trump posted on Thursday, two days after the opener. ^{[2] [3]}

A longer-running disagreement

Trump and James have exchanged public criticism for years. ABC News recalled Trump disparaging James during his first administration and James criticizing the president after a White House invitation to the Golden State Warriors was withdrawn in 2017. That history provides context for Thursday’s exchange, but it does not establish a motive for James’s movements during Tuesday’s anthem. ^{[2] [3]}

Trump has also repeatedly objected to athletes’ conduct during pregame anthems. Reuters noted his criticism of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling protest and his 2018 cancellation of a planned White House visit by the Philadelphia Eagles amid an anthem-related dispute. Tuesday’s clip is a different incident: the available reporting describes James standing with his team and moving his arms, not kneeling. ^{[1] [3]}

For now, the confirmed development is Trump’s demand for an apology and the footage that prompted it. Whether James will respond, and how he would describe his own actions, remained unanswered in the Thursday reports. The distinction matters because an observer’s interpretation of a few seconds of video should not be presented as the player’s stated intention. ^{[1] [2]}