President Trump branded LeBron James a total disgrace for taking golf swings during the national anthem at his 76ers debut while teammates stood.
LeBron James spent part of the national anthem taking practice golf swings in Philadelphia 76ers gear at Tuesday’s game, as the rest of the team stood through the song before tip-off against the defending NBA champions.
OutKick reported the scene from James’s debut with the 76ers this week. On Thursday, President Donald Trump answered on Truth Social, framing the conduct as disrespect for the country and calling for an apology to America’s fallen.
Trump did not hedge.
He wrote:
"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 our Country stands for!"
The post put a simple contrast in front of fans. Teammates stood. James worked on his swing.
The 76ers night was not a one-off, per the same reporting. On Christmas Day last year, while still with the Los Angeles Lakers, James went through the same golf-swing routine during the anthem.
Earlier chapters look familiar too. In October 2019, James pulled a comparable anthem display while caught up in drama over his support of China. The NBA on ESPN Twitter account posted, “LeBron is READY,” as that episode played out.
In 2023, at a USC basketball game featuring his son Bronny James, LeBron arrived at his seats during the anthem and sat down. Different building. Same choice about the song.
None of those moments required a presidential post to become public. They were visible. Trump simply refused to shrug.
Trump’s view of James is not new. Earlier this year he explained why he ranks Michael Jordan ahead of James, and he tied the preference to loyalty and personal regard as much as basketball.
Trump said:
"Michael Jordan is a guy that's a friend of mine, play golf with him. 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,"
That is blunt. It is also consistent. Trump draws a hard line between athletes who show basic respect for the flag and those who treat the anthem like spare warm-up time.
James has not been quoted in the OutKick account responding to the Thursday post. The 76ers and the NBA likewise offered no reply in that reporting. The clip of the swings, and the president’s words, are what landed in public view.
For millions of fans who stand for the anthem without a camera on them, the bar is not complicated. You stop. You face the flag. You let the song finish. Superstars do not get a special exemption because they sell jerseys.
When a player turns the national anthem into a practice session, he should expect the country, and a president who still talks about warriors and the flag, to notice.
