President Donald Trump has said basketball star LeBron James disrespected the United States by not standing still while the national anthem was sung.
James, who now plays for the Philadelphia 76ers, appeared to be practising a golf swing and basketball shots as the anthem was performed before the season-opening game against the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
“While listening to our National Anthem, LeBron James disrespects our Country!” Trump wrote on social media. “LeBron James should apologize to all of those Great American Warriors and Heroes who died for the American Flag.”
James has not responded to the president’s comments, but the two have criticised each other in the past.
Video shows golf swing during anthem
Video shows James making the motion of a golf swing as a performer sang the Star-Spangled Banner at Madison Square Garden in New York. His teammates, lined up beside him on the court, mostly remained standing with minimal movement.
In a second post, Trump added: “I said right from the beginning that he’s no good, a TOTAL DISGRACE.” He also wrote that 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!”
The BBC contacted James for a response through the 76ers and also asked the team to comment.
Anthem protests have a political history
The national anthem is played or performed at the start of most professional sports games. Players and spectators are expected to stand for it, if they can, and refrain from moving around. Some people sing along.
The tradition has become a political flashpoint before. In 2016, former American football player Colin Kaepernick sat down and later knelt on one knee during the anthem to protest police brutality and racism in the United States.
Trump criticised Kaepernick and later took credit when the athlete could not find a team to play for. Years later, he softened his stance, saying Kaepernick should “get another shot” to play in the NFL.
Long-running feud between Trump and James
The president has had a longstanding feud with James, who has publicly endorsed or campaigned for Trump’s political opponents since the 2016 presidential election. In 2018, Trump suggested James was not intelligent after the athlete said he “would never sit across” from him. The same year, James accused Trump of giving racists “an opportunity to be out and outspoken without fear.”
James has also suggested that Trump’s rhetoric led to a mob storming the US Capitol in 2021 to stop the certification of the 2020 election, which former President Joe Biden won. James had endorsed Biden.
In July, when asked to choose between James and Michael Jordan as the greatest basketball player of all time, Trump said he preferred Jordan. “I only like people that like me,” Trump said.
James, 41, is the highest points scorer in NBA history, with more than 40,000 points. He has won the NBA championship with every team he has played for. In July, he signed a two-year contract with Philadelphia, which is widely expected to be his last as a professional player.