The player of the Philadelphia 76ers, LeBron James, has downplayed the recent criticisms from the President of the United States, Donald Trump, after he called him a "total disgrace" for warming up while the national anthem was playing. "It must be a day with few news in the office," commented the NBA star sarcastically, thus minimizing the umpteenth attack from the president.
At the end of his last match against the Cleveland Cavaliers —resolved with a victory for the 'Sixers' by 114 to 106—, James was questioned by journalists about the continuous allusions from the Republican leader towards him. Far from fueling the controversy, the forward chose to settle the matter with a very brief response. "Yes, yes. It must have been a day with few news in the office, you know? A slow news day in the office," the basketball player responded, avoiding going into more details.
James's words come after Trump again lashed out at him during a rally in the state of Iowa, in the midst of the campaign for the upcoming legislative elections —the 'midterms'— scheduled for November 3. Before his supporters, the president again pointed to the player. "And, what do you say about LeBron James? Have you seen that? During the national anthem, he is practicing his golf 'swing'. He is practicing. I said, 'What the hell is that?'. It's some kind of big scandal. What is all this about? I don't understand," proclaimed the president, fueling the controversy.
The origin of the conflict dates back to the dissemination of images prior to the opening match of the 76ers against the New York Knicks, which ended with a victory for LeBron's new team by 106 to 100. In that video, the team is seen lined up during the performance of 'The Star-Spangled Banner', while James appears to be practicing golf movements and simulating shots at the basket, in contrast to the posture of the rest of his teammates.
After the recording went viral, Trump again attacked the player on his platform, Truth Social, where he labeled him a "total disgrace" for, in his opinion, not showing respect for his country, and demanded that he apologize "to all those great warriors and American heroes who died for the American flag." Despite the harshness of the words, James has preferred to lower the tension and not prolong the public confrontation with the president.