LeBron James’ Philadelphia 76ers debut on Tuesday night made plenty of headlines, from his heated exchange with a Knicks fan to the Sixers spoiling New York’s ring night at Madison Square Garden. But a clip from before the game even started has now gone viral, too.
Cameras caught James appearing to practice his golf swing and his shooting form during the national anthem. And plenty of conservatives, including Fox News host Laura Ingraham, were quick to rip him for it.
Sixers Spoil Ring Night
James’ first game with the Sixers came against the defending champion Knicks, and it didn’t take long for the Madison Square Garden crowd to get under his skin. One fan heckled him about his plan to commute between New York and Philadelphia by helicopter, according to NBC’s Mike Tirico.
James also got into a heated exchange with a courtside fan before halftime, telling him, “I’m not from the West Coast, I’m from Ohio, baby.” Ultimately, James got the last laugh, too, as the Sixers spoiled the Knicks’ ring night with a 106-100 win, but it was James’ pregame antics that led to the most criticism.
In a video shared by ClutchPoints, James can be seen swinging his arms like he’s practicing a golf swing, and then going through his shooting motion, as the anthem played at Madison Square Garden.
LeBron James still in golf mode as he was practicing his swing during the national anthem last night of Sixers-Knicks
(via @alexdaysports) https://t.co/CsKChSqr9L
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 21, 2026
It’s not clear that James meant anything by it, and it certainly wasn’t a protest. But that didn’t stop his critics from piling on.
‘That’s Just Disrespect’
Needless to say, James’ antics certainly led to a lot of criticism on social media, especially from those on the right side of the political spectrum.
“Class all the way,” wrote Fox News host Laura Ingraham.
“And when the national anthem plays for the country that made all of that possible, he can’t give it two minutes of respect,” wrote YouTuber Matt Wallace. “That’s not a protest. That’s not a statement. That’s just disrespect.”
“LeBron James is an ignorant, ungrateful child,” wrote podcaster Joe Dan Gorman.
“What’s the point of playing the National Anthem if these clowns aren’t going to respect it, place their hands over their hearts and take it seriously?” wrote conservative commentator Dante Henderson.
“This guy is truly one of the biggest scumbags in the history of professional sports in America!” wrote MAGA influencer Vince Langman.
“The funny thing about this is that our collective expectations of LeBron are so low that you almost can’t even get mad at him. You just want him to finally go away because it’s embarrassing when a 41 year old man habitually acts like he’s a spoiled teenager,” wrote comic book author Douglas Ernst.
Of course, James has long been a target for conservatives, dating back to his criticism of President Donald Trump during his first term. So it’s not exactly a surprise that a few seconds of fidgeting during the anthem would set them off.
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