LeBron James Responds After Trump Criticizes His National Anthem Conduct

The dispute began with LeBron James's movements during the national anthem before his debut with the Philadelphia 76ers. According to Sky Sports, James appeared to continue warming up during the anthem before Philadelphia's season opener on Tuesday.

The game was against the Knicks in New York, according to L'Équipe. TMZ described James practicing a golf swing, while ABC News described apparent stretches. Those accounts describe his movements, not an explanation from James of what he intended.

On October 22, President Donald Trump accused James of disrespecting the United States. The Independent reported that Trump made his criticism in a Truth Social post.

Trump called James a "total disgrace" over the apparent golf swing during the anthem, according to TMZ. His criticism focused on James's conduct during the ceremony rather than his performance in the game.

Trump also called for an apology, the New York Post reported on October 22. That demand took the dispute beyond criticism of the footage and put pressure on James to respond.

James answered on Thursday, October 22, according to coverage published by Infobae the following day. He suggested that it had been a quiet news day at the office. L'Équipe described his response as ironic.

The latest development is James's dismissive response to Trump's criticism and apology demand. The supplied coverage does not report an apology from James or a further response from Trump.

The exchange also shared attention with events on court. Sky Sports reported James's reaction alongside a major Philadelphia comeback. The available summaries do not provide the score or enough detail to explain that result.