LeBron James Brushes Off Trump's 'Total Disgrace' Demand With a Cool One-Liner
LeBron James has had his say. The NBA superstar responded to US President Donald Trump's criticism over his conduct during the national anthem with a single, pointed remark — "Must be a slow day in the office" — after the Philadelphia 76ers' 114-106 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, Gulf News reported.
The accusation
Trump had accused James of disrespecting the United States after a video showed him appearing to practise a golf swing and imitate a basketball shot during the national anthem before Philadelphia's season opener against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Gulf News reported. In a Truth Social post, the president called the 41-year-old a "TOTAL DISGRACE" and demanded that he apologise to American military personnel.
Gulf News quoted Trump's post directly: "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!" The president took James's warm-up gestures during the anthem as a slight against the nation, RealityTea noted.
The one-line reply
James finally responded to the criticism after the 76ers' second game of the season, when reporters asked him about Trump's comments. "Must be a slow day in the office," he said on Thursday, according to Gulf News, dismissing the controversy without taking it seriously — and offering no apology.
The veteran forward had plenty to celebrate beyond the political noise. Gulf News reported that James recorded 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as Philadelphia rallied from a large deficit to beat Cleveland 114-106, moving to 2-0 in what is his record 24th NBA season — his first with the 76ers.
A long-running feud
The exchange adds another chapter to the long-running public tension between the president and the basketball star, Gulf News observed. SoapCentral, citing The Guardian's coverage, reported that Trump repeated parts of the criticism at a campaign event in Iowa later that evening.
Their differences date back years: James backed Hillary Clinton in 2016 and later supported Trump's Democratic rivals, while Trump has taken aim at James on social media before — at one point suggesting James could be "racist" while arguing that Michael Jordan outranked him as a player, SoapCentral noted.
Sources: Gulf News; The Guardian; Associated Press; RealityTea.