President Donald Trump has criticized LeBron James after a video showed the NBA star moving his arms and making basketball shooting motions while the national anthem played, turning a brief pregame moment into another fight over sports and patriotism.
Trump said the display dishonored the country and demanded an apology to people who died for the flag and the ideals it represents. His response treated the clip as serious disrespect rather than an ordinary warmup, giving the video a political charge well beyond the court.
The controversy widened when a separate anthem dispute unfolded in the WNBA Finals. Players from the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries left the floor before the song began and returned after it ended. Both teams described that pattern as a routine, but commentators and websites criticized it.
While listening to our National Anthem, LeBron James disrespects our Country! I said right from the beginning that he’s no good, a TOTAL DISGRACE. LeBron James should apologize to all of those Great American Warriors and Heroes who died for the American Flag, and all that our… pic.twitter.com/ivgYVEo1Dn
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) October 22, 2026
Reuters described Trump’s clip as showing a warmup-style arm stretch and basketball shooting movements. A separate post from Clay Travis interpreted the scene as a golf swing and sharply criticized James’s place in the NBA. The two descriptions help explain why the footage became contentious: the action can be interpreted as either routine movement or a gesture carrying a separate message.
LeBron decided to practice his golf swing during the national anthem last night. I can’t wait until he retires, he’s been toxic for the entire NBA. pic.twitter.com/wTusZifdla
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) October 22, 2026
The broader dispute has roots in earlier athletic protests. The source points to Colin Kaepernick’s decision to sit and later kneel during the anthem before NFL games, a choice that helped make anthem conduct a lasting national argument. The current conflict involves James’s movements and WNBA players leaving the court.
Videos from the WNBA games showed players jogging away just before the anthem and coming back once it was over. USA Today reported that the pattern occurred repeatedly during the Finals series and noted that many WNBA teams have chosen not to be on the floor for the song. Sports leagues do not all use the same requirements for player participation.
Seconds before the national anthem begins, players from both WNBA Finals teams jog off the court. And for the third straight game, they don't return until the song is over.
The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries repeat the routine Wednesday night at State Farm Arena,… pic.twitter.com/cE1dO5NVqT
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 22, 2026
Trump’s post went beyond criticism of the video. He said James owed an apology to people who died for the flag and for what the country represents. That demand turned a disputed warmup gesture into a question of loyalty, respect, and public accountability.
Why It Matters
This dispute matters because the anthem has become a visible test of how athletes, fans, and league officials balance personal expression with shared national symbols. A player’s movement or absence can be read as routine by one audience and deliberate protest by another. That gap in interpretation is driving much of the anger around these incidents.
LeBron James is at the center because Trump’s response gives one athlete’s pregame behavior a national political dimension. The WNBA episodes widen the stakes: teams now face questions about whether a repeated practice should remain an internal routine or be addressed publicly. Players, leagues, supporters, and critics all become part of a dispute that reaches beyond the court.
The unresolved question is what the athletes intended and how league rules apply when players are not present for the anthem. The source describes criticism, a defense that the WNBA conduct is routine, and different requirements across sports. Those competing explanations leave the controversy open, while Trump’s demand for an apology puts added pressure on James to respond.
For now, the record contains two competing readings. Trump sees James’s movements as an insult to the country, while the WNBA teams describe their anthem absence as a routine. The source does not report a resolution, leaving the central conflict focused on whether these actions are ordinary pregame choices or public statements.
Source: The Liberty Daily
