LeBron James has responded to President Donald Trump’s criticism of him for not paying attention while the national anthem was being performed before the 76ers’ win over the defending champion New York Knicks.
“It’s a slow news day at the office, you know,” James said. “Slow news day in the office,”ESPN quoted.
Trump had berated James for not paying attention while the national anthem was being sung at Madison Square Garden. James was caught on camera practicing a golf swing and a jump shot while his teammates stood at alert.
“I said right from the beginning that he’s no good, a TOTAL DISGRACE,” Trump said in the post. “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!”
76ers coach Nick Nurse, speaking before the game, described Trump’s comments as another distraction.
“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.”
Trump has also been criticized for his performance while the national anthem was being performed. In 2020, the Miami Herald posted a video of him waving his hands as if conducting an orchestra while the anthem played at a Super Bowl watch party. In the short clip, he also appeared to gesture at others while the people around him stood with their hands over their hearts.
Trump and LeBron James have been critical of each other for years, and they’ve occasionally traded public swipes.
