US President Donald Trump lashed out at NBA superstar LeBron James on Thursday for what he called disrespectful behaviour during the playing of the national anthem.
Trump posted a video of the basketball legend doing apparent warm-up movements while lined up with his Philadelphia 76ers team-mates before their season opener against the New York Knicks on Tuesday.
‘Total disgrace’
“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,” Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.
“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!” he wrote.
The video used by Trump had an internal caption that read: “LeBron working on his golf swing pregame.” It showed him doing lateral swing motions and basketball shooting movements.
Donald Trump, speaking at a campaign rally in Iowa on Thursday night, renewed the attack, calling James’s actions “a big scandal kind of a story.”
Trump and James have traded barbs before, and the NBA’s all-time leading scorer shrugged off the president’s latest criticism.
‘Slow news day’
“It must be a slow news day at the office,” he said after the Sixers completed an epic comeback to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106 in Philadelphia.
“Slow news day at the office.”
James, 41, is entering a record-extending 24th NBA season with his fourth team.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse said Trump’s comments were the kind of distractions he was schooling his team to tune out.
“I think that goes right in with other outside noise we’ve already had,” Nurse said.
“I keep saying the same thing. All I really care about is getting to the practice floor, getting them in the film room, getting them to the game floor.
“The focus that they’ve had and the intent and all the stuff like that has been outstanding.”
Donald Trump has been critical of athletes before – particularly Black athletes – for their behaviour during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner before games.
During his first term, Trump singled out NFL star Colin Kaepernick for his decision to kneel during the “Star-Spangled Banner” to protest at racial injustice and police brutality.
By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse