LeBron James had a comeback ready for Donald Trump, but it had nothing to do with basketball. After the president demanded an apology over the NBA star’s behavior during the national anthem, James brushed off the controversy with a pointed response while celebrating a historic Philadelphia 76ers victory.
LeBron James reacts after Donald Trump asked him to apologize
“Must have been a slow news day at the office,” James told reporters Oct. 22 when asked about Trump’s criticism. The 24-year NBA veteran offered no apology, instead shifting attention back to the court after helping Philadelphia erase a massive deficit in its first home game of the season.
Trump ignited the dispute in an Oct. 22 Truth Social post featuring footage from Philadelphia’s Oct. 20 matchup against the New York Knicks. The president accused James of disrespecting the country during the national anthem and called him a “TOTAL DISGRACE.”
He also demanded that the basketball star apologize to American service members who died defending the flag. The footage captured James pantomiming a golf swing before acting out a basketball shot. Trump took the gestures as a slight against the nation.
This latest dust-up is hardly the first time James and Trump have traded shots. Their political differences date back years, with James backing Hillary Clinton in 2016 before throwing his support behind Trump’s Democratic rivals in later presidential races. The tension boiled over in 2018 when James accused Trump of turning sports into a tool for dividing the country (via Delaware Online).
Trump answered with a Twitter attack that took aim at both the NBA star and CNN’s Don Lemon. More recently, he reignited the rivalry by suggesting James could be “racist” while making the case that Michael Jordan outranked him as a player.
James had plenty to celebrate beyond the political noise. Philadelphia rallied from a 24-point halftime deficit to beat Cleveland 114-106, securing the biggest comeback win in franchise history during the play-by-play era. Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 32 points, while James contributed 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. The victory moved Philadelphia to 2-0 for the season.
