WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said NBA star Lebron James should apologize after accusing the Philadelphia 76ers forward of disrespecting the United States for stretching and imitating his free-throw motion during the national anthem.
Trump lashed out at James, a long-time target of the president, in an Oct. 22 post on Truth Social, which included a video clip of James as the national anthem was sung before the Oct. 20 game between the 76ers and New York Knicks.
"While listening to our National Anthem, LeBron James disrespects our Country!" Trump said in the post. "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!"
For part of the anthem, James is seen moving his arms in the form of a golf swing, then imitating a basketball shot, while the rest of his teammates are standing still with their heads down or looking at the singer.
More: Trump calls LeBron James 'maybe a racist' compared to Michael Jordan
Over the years, Trump has repeatedly criticized James, who campaigned for Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election and has backed Trump's two other Democratic opponents for president since.
Speaking in the Oval Office in July, Trump suggested that James could be "racist" as he remarked that Michael Jordan was the superior basketball player.
"Michael Jordan is a guy that’s a friend of mine. Play golf with him. He’s a really good guy,” Trump said. “I think Lebron is – maybe he’s a racist. Maybe he doesn’t like Trump. But I only like people that like me. So I would say Michael Jordan all the way.”
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The back and forth between the two men goes back years earlier.
In 2018, James criticized Trump in a CNN interview with host Don Lemon, accusing the president of "using sports to kinda divide us, and that's something that I can't relate to."
Trump fired back on what was then Twitter that James had made Lemon look smart despite Lemon being what the president called "the dumbest man on television."
James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, entered his 24th season this year and first with the 76ers after spending the past eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. In the 76ers' 106-100 victory over the Knicks, James scored 14 points, while collecting nine rebounds and seven assists.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump accuses LeBron James of disrespecting US during national anthem