Trump attacks LeBron James over anthem warm-up, James calls it a slow news day

LeBron James had a ready answer after helping Philadelphia erase a 29-point deficit Thursday: “It must be a slow news day at the office.”

The comment came after President Donald Trump used Truth Social to attack James over video from Tuesday’s season opener against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The clip showed James lined up with his Philadelphia 76ers teammates while making swinging and shooting motions during the performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Most of his teammates stood comparatively still.

What Trump said: Trump wrote that James “disrespects our Country,” called him “a TOTAL DISGRACE” and said he should apologize to “all of those Great American Warriors and Heroes who died for the American Flag.” The video carried an on-screen caption describing James as working on his golf swing before the game. Whether it was a golf swing, a basketball warm-up or both, it became presidential material by Thursday.

James's answer: The NBA’s all-time leading scorer did not address the criticism before Thursday’s game against Cleveland. After the 76ers won 114-106, he dismissed it twice as a slow news day. Philadelphia’s rally was the biggest comeback in franchise history in the play-by-play era, which began in 1996-97, and the largest comeback victory of James’s career.

This is familiar ground: Trump and James have traded public criticism for years. Trump has also repeatedly targeted athletes over conduct during the anthem, most notably Colin Kaepernick, who knelt to protest racial injustice and police brutality. James, 41, is beginning a record-extending 24th NBA season, now with his fourth team.

The thing to watch is whether this stays a one-day exchange or becomes another chapter in a feud that has already lasted through several NBA stops and two Trump presidencies.