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President Donald Trump criticized NBA star LeBron James over his movements during the national anthem and urged a boycott of the WNBA after players from two teams left the court while the song played.
Trump shared footage of James appearing to practice a golf swing and take a jump shot during the anthem before the Philadelphia 76ers faced the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday (October 20).
“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,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Thursday (October 22).
“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 laughed when asked about the criticism after Philadelphia’s 114-106 comeback win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“Must be a slow news day at the office, you know,” James said.
According to Yahoo Sports, 76ers coach Nick Nurse also dismissed the controversy as “outside noise,” saying his focus remained on getting the team ready to play.
In a separate report, Newsweek detailed Trump’s call for a WNBA boycott after the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries left the court during the national anthem before games in the WNBA Finals.
Newsweek reported that leaving the court was part of both teams’ established pregame routines. The Valkyries have followed the practice since joining the league last year, while the Dream have done so for several years.
At a rally in Sioux City, Iowa, on Thursday, Trump compared the controversy to NFL players kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality.
“The NFL did that for a while and they stopped because people stopped watching the games,” Trump said. “So I think you should do the same thing with women’s basketball.”
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