Updated October 22, 2026, 4:49 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said NBA star LeBron James should apologize after accusing the Philadelphia 76ers forward of disrespecting the United States for stretching and mimicking his free throw motion during the national anthem.
Trump went after James, a longtime target of the president, in an Oct. 22 article on Truth Social, which included a video clip of James while the national anthem was sung before the Oct. 20 game between the 76ers and the New York Knicks.
“By listening to our national anthem, LeBron James is disrespecting our country!” Trump said in the message. “I said from the start he was no good, a complete disgrace. LeBron James should apologize to all those great American warriors and heroes who died for the American flag and everything our country stands for!”
During part of the anthem, James is seen moving his arms in the form of a golf swing, then imitating a basketball shot with his hands, while the rest of his teammates either stand still with their heads down or look at the singer.
Trump’s attack on James, less than two weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, touches on a familiar topic for the president, who criticized NFL players and other black athletes during his first term for kneeling during the national anthem to call attention to racial inequality and police brutality.
Over the years, Trump has repeatedly disparaged James, who campaigned for Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election and has since supported Trump’s two other Democratic opponents for president.
Speaking in the Oval Office in July, Trump suggested that James might be “racist” by remarking that Michael Jordan was the best player in basketball.
“Michael Jordan is a friend of mine. Play golf with him. He’s a really good guy,” Trump said. “I think LeBron is – maybe he’s racist. Maybe he doesn’t like Trump. But I only like people who like me. So I would say Michael Jordan all the way.”
The back and forth between the two men dates back to years earlier.
In 2018, James criticized Trump in a CNN interview with host Don Lemon, accusing the president of “using sports to sort of divide us, and that’s something I can’t relate to.”
Trump fired back on what was then Twitter by saying that James made Lemon look smart, even though Lemon was what the president called “the stupidest man on television.”
James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, entered his 24th season this year and his first with the 76ers after spending the last eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. In the 76ers’ 106-100 win over the Knicks, James scored 14 points, while grabbing nine rebounds and seven assists.
Contact Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
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