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LeBron James has broken his silence on President Donald Trump’s comments condemning his behavior during the national anthem.
James was seen on the court finishing warmups as the anthem played ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers’ Tuesday night showdown against the defending NBA champion New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The footage showed James stretching his arms and relaxing his torso, appearing to imitate a golf swing.
Trump wasted no time sharing a video of James in the moment, along with a speech on Truth Social: “By listening to our national anthem, LeBron James is disrespecting our country. LeBron James should apologize to all those great American warriors and heroes who died for the American flag and everything our country stands for!”
James cheered after Philadelphia’s home opener Thursday night and its win over his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, dropping a stinging retort when asked about Trump’s comments.
“It’s a slow news day at the office, you know. A slow news day at the office,” James told reporters.
76ers head coach Nick Nurse said Trump’s comments were “perfectly consistent with all the other outside noise we’ve ever had.”
“All I really care about is getting them on the practice field, getting in the film room, getting them on the playing field. And the focus they had, their intent and everything they had was great,” Nurse said.
James and Trump have publicly traded barbs dating back to 2017, when the four-time NBA MVP called the president a “bum” after the White House rescinded an invitation to the Golden State Warriors. James went on to say that a visit to Washington, D.C. was an honor “until you showed up.”
The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.
The trade follows James’ debut with the Philadelphia 76ers after he opted to extend his career during the offseason by signing with the team.
James helped the 76ers to a victory Tuesday night against the defending champion Knicks, 106-100. He scored 14 points in 34 minutes on the court. He followed up Thursday with a come-from-behind victory against the Cavaliers, 114-106.
Speaking to NBC after Tuesday’s game, James said: “I could be a lot better. I’m still in my rhythm, obviously just a little over two weeks with the new team.
“But I like the way we played. I thought we played exceptionally well.”
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