LeBron James brushes off Donald Trump criticism with sarcastic response

LeBron James brushed off recent criticism from US President Donald Trump, who accused the NBA superstar of disrespecting the American flag during the national anthem prior to the 76ers' season opener against the Knicks in New York. Following his new team's 114-106 victory over Cleveland on Thursday night, James offered a brief, sarcastic response: "It's a slow news day at the office."

The controversy erupted on Thursday when Trump took to Truth Social to share a clip appearing to show James going through warm-up routines alongside his teammates while the national anthem played at Madison Square Garden.

In his post, Trump launched a scathing attack on the basketball icon: "While listening to our National Anthem, LeBron James disrespected our country! I said from the beginning that he was no good, an absolute disgrace. LeBron James should apologize to all of these great American warriors and heroes who died for the American Flag and everything our Country stands for!"

Asked about the situation prior to Thursday's matchup, Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse dismissed the outside noise: "I think that just goes into the bucket of the outside noise, the non-basketball stuff that we’ve already had thrown at us. I just keep repeating the same thing. All I care about is being in practice, in the film room, on the floor. Their focus on those things has been remarkable so far."

The war of words between Donald Trump and LeBron James spans several years. In 2017, James famously labeled Trump a "bum" on Twitter in reaction to the head of state's criticism directed at Stephen Curry, after Curry refused to visit the White House with the championship-winning Golden State Warriors during Trump's first presidential term.

James's social and civic activism has frequently placed him in the spotlight. When Fox News host Laura Ingraham told him and Kevin Durant to "shut up and dribble" in February 2018, the forward quickly pushed back: "There is no way for me to just do that. I mean too much to society, to youth, to so many kids who feel like they don't have a way out and need someone to help lead them out of the situation they are in."

James was named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year in 2020, an accolade recognizing both his NBA championship run with the LA Lakers in the Orlando bubble during the Covid-19 pandemic and his high-profile campaign to boost voter turnout in underserved communities. At the time, James reflected: "We know that this is a fight that is bigger than us."