It doesn't look like King James is going to issue an apology.
Hours after President Donald Trump said NBA star LeBron James should apologize after he accused the Philadelphia 76ers forward of disrespecting the United States for stretching and imitating his free-throw motion during the national anthem, King James gave a short response.
“Must have been a slow news day at the office,” James said after clinching the largest comeback win of his stories career during his first home game with the Sixers.
What did Trump say?
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 opening night 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!"
LeBron James national anthem
For part of the anthem, James is seen moving his arms in the form of a golf swing, then mimicking a basketball shot with his hands, while the rest of his teammates are standing still with their heads down or looking at the singer.
LeBron James, Donald Trump history
Over the years, Trump has repeatedly disparaged 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.
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."
Did the Sixers win?
Trump's comments didn't seem to impact James on the court, as the all-time NBA leading scorer helped the Sixers to the biggest come-from-behind win in franchise history during the play-by-play era with a 114-106 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Xfinity Mobile Arena in South Philly.
Down 29 at halftime, James as well as teammates Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid and V.J. Edgecombe cut into the Cavs lead with stellar defense that led to several fastbreak points.
Maxey led the way with 32 points while Embiid and Brown had 24 and 21, respectively. Meanwhile, James chipped in with 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
The victory puts the Sixers at 2-0 on the season following the 106-100 opening night win over the Knicks.
sixers highlights
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: "Slow news day at the office." LeBron James responds to Donald Trump