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LeBron James and Donald Trump
LeBron James and Donald Trump have repeatedly clashed over the past decade or so. The president reignited the feud by going after the superstar over his behavior during the national anthem, and the NBA veteran seemed pretty unfazed based on the response.
Michael Jordan went out of his way to maintain an apolitical stance during his legendary NBA career (he famously quipped “Republicans buy sneakers too” while explaining why he declined to issue an endorsement in a Senate race in North Carolina in 1990).
However, that has not been the case with the only other basketball player who has a valid claim to the G.O.A.T. throne: LeBron James.
The man who recently kicked off his 24th season in the league has been a vocal (and financial) backer of multiple Democratic candidates for president since throwing his endorsement behind Barack Obama in 2008, and he’s repeatedly used his platform to drum up support for social issues primarily championed by people on that side of the aisle.
That has put him at odds with Donald Trump, whom he labeled a “bum” in a tweet he sent out in 2017 after the president announced he wouldn’t be inviting the Warriors to the White House to celebrate their championship.
U bum @StephenCurry30 already said he ain’t going! So therefore ain’t no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!
— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 23, 2017
The following year, Trump pledged allegiance to Team Jordan while firing a shot at James in the wake of an interview he sat down for on CNN.
Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon. He made Lebron look smart, which isn’t easy to do. I like Mike!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 4, 2018
The feud had been fairly quiet since then, but it has picked back up thanks to how LeBron acted during “The Star-Spangled Banner” ahead of a game earlier this week.
LeBron James brushed off Donald Trump’s criticism of his behavior during the national anthem
LeBron voiced his support for Colin Kaepernick after the QB sparked a firestorm of controversy by kneeling during the national anthem in 2017. He specifically targeted Trump’s reaction, although he ultimately announced he would continue to stand when the song was played ahead of NBA games.
However, he caught some heat for practicing his golf swing and jump shot during the anthem ahead of Philadelphia’s season opener against the Knicks, a decision that predictably led to many people accusing him of being disrespectful.
LeBron doing ANYTHING to disrespect the National Anthem https://t.co/TczsaaxoLg
— House of Lowlights (@HouseLowlights) October 21, 2026
That included Trump, who dubbed him a “TOTAL DISGRACE” while reacting in a Truth Social Post and referred to it as a “big scandal” during a rally in Iowa.
Trump: And what about LeBron James. What the hell is that? It’s a big scandal. I don’t understand it https://t.co/9eiBy562XJ
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) October 23, 2026
LeBron got the opportunity to respond after the 76ers improved to 2-0 with a win over the Cavaliers on Thursday night, and he shrugged it off by saying, “Slow news day at the office, you know?”
LeBron James responds to Donald Trump taking shots at him with a BRUTAL one liner:
“Slow news day at the office, you know.” https://t.co/Y4Qa0lHD6a
— Deuce World🌃 (@deuceworldx) October 23, 2026
I don’t think it’s unfair to suggest LeBron should think about putting his practice strokes on the back burner for a minute when the national anthem is playing, but it’s pretty clear he’s unbothered by the blowback.