Trump criticizes LeBron James over the anthem... and the basketball star responds sarcastically

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American basketball star LeBron James refused to enter into an argument with President Donald Trump, who accused him of insulting the country because of his movements during the playing of the national anthem, and demanded that he apologize. The player contented himself with a sarcastic comment after his team's historic victory, saying: "It seems like a quiet day in the office."

The controversy began after Trump posted yesterday, Thursday, on his “Truth Social” platform, a video clip showing James performing movements that appeared to be warm-up exercises, while standing next to his teammates on the “Philadelphia 76ers” team, before their season opening match against the “New York Knicks”, on Tuesday. The US President accompanied the video with a comment in which he said: “While our national anthem is playing, LeBron James insults our country! I said from the beginning that he is a bad person, and that he is a complete disgrace.”

He also added: “James should apologize to all the great American warriors and heroes who sacrificed their lives for the American flag, and everything our country stands for!”

While James appeared in the clip, swinging his body sideways and performing movements that simulate shooting a basketball, while the video carried a caption saying: “LeBron practicing his golf swing before the match.”

But Trump's attack did not stop at the post, as he returned to criticizing the player during an election rally in Iowa yesterday evening, describing his behavior as "a scandal of some kind."

On the other hand, James did not express a desire to enter into a verbal confrontation with the president, and chose to respond briefly when asked about his statements following his team’s match against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Philadelphia had overturned a 29-point deficit, winning the match with a score of 114 to 106, before James commented sarcastically: “It seems like a quiet day in the office... just a quiet day in the office.” James, who is 41 years old and the all-time leading scorer in the NBA, is playing his 24th season in the competition, in a record, with the fourth team during his career.

It is noteworthy that this is not the first time that Trump has criticized the actions of athletes during the playing of the national anthem before matches, especially black athletes.

During his first term, he attacked American football player Colin Kaepernick, who chose to kneel during the anthem to protest racial injustice and police violence.

James himself also has a history of controversies with Trump. In September 2017, he defended Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors star, after the president announced that he was withdrawing his invitation to the White House after the player expressed his refusal to visit. James responded at the time that Curry had previously announced his unwillingness to attend.

James was also one of Trump's most prominent critics during his two presidential terms, and supported Democratic Party candidates in the previous presidential elections. In 2017, he described Trump as a "fool" on the "X" social media platform, against the backdrop of the controversy over the White House's invitations to NBA champions.

Trump responded a year later on the same platform, saying: LeBron James was interviewed by the stupidest man on television, Don Lemon. He made him look smart, which is not easy.