Key Takeaways
- LeBron James brushed off Donald Trump’s “total disgrace” criticism as a “slow news day.”
- Trump demanded an apology over video of James appearing to practice during the national anthem.
- James and Trump previously clashed over White House invitations and exchanged public insults.
LeBron James trading shots with the president was not on our 2026 bingo cards. On Thursday (Oct. 22) night, following the Philadelphia 76ers’ game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the four-time NBA champion responded to Donald Trump calling him a “total disgrace” after video surfaced of him seemingly practicing his jump shot during the national anthem.
Surrounded by reporters, many of whom were curious to hear his thoughts on the Sixers’ home opener, James was asked about Trump’s comments on Truth Social. “It must be a slow news day at the office, you know,” he responded. “Slow news day in the office.” Watch the video below, then keep scrolling to see what prompted the president’s remarks in the first place.
Why Donald Trump called LeBron James a “total disgrace” over the national anthem
As REVOLT previously reported, Trump shared a video of James appearing to practice his golf swing and jump shot while “The Star-Spangled Banner” played Tuesday (Oct. 20) at New York’s Madison Square Garden. For the most part, the NBA star’s teammates stood still, although we imagine most viewers had their eyes on one of the league’s biggest names.
“I said right from the beginning that he’s no good, a TOTAL DISGRACE,” Trump wrote in his caption. “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!”
A look back at LeBron James and Donald Trump’s history of public disagreements
It’s not the first time — and if history is anything to go by, it probably won’t be the last — that the two have taken jabs at one another. Some might remember that, in 2017, James called Trump a “bum” for rescinding White House invitations to Steph Curry, and later the entire Golden State Warriors, after they won the NBA championship that year.
“He doesn’t understand the power that he has... [as] a leader of this beautiful country. He doesn’t understand how many kids, no matter the race, look up to the president of the United States for guidance, for leadership, for words of encouragement,” James told reporters at the time, according to POLITICO. “He doesn’t understand that.”
In 2018, Trump took to X to claim that James was interviewed by “the dumbest man on television,” taking a swipe at Don Lemon in the process. “He made LeBron look smart, which isn’t easy to do. I like Mike!” he added, referring to Michael Jordan. Fast-forward to July, and the 80-year-old went so far as to suggest James could be “a racist” because he didn’t like him.
James and Trump clearly aren’t each other’s biggest fans, but then again, you can’t win everyone over. Revisit the latter’s old tweets below.