Trump demands LeBron James apologize for anthem swing

LeBron is 2 days into his Philadelphia career, and the President of the United States is already in his mentions. Trump went to Truth Social with this:

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Donald Trump demands that LeBron James "should apologize to all American service members and their families" for practicing his golf swing during the National Anthem: “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 Country stands for! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

Here's what set it off. Before Tuesday's season opener against the Knicks at the Garden, LeBron stood for the anthem and kept working a golf swing over and over. A few seconds later he switched to a jump-shot motion. Somebody filmed it, the clip went viral, and it took about 48 hours to land in front of Trump.

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The video Donald Trump is referring to:

Let's be honest about what the clip shows: a 41-year-old guy who can't stand still, getting loose before tip-off. Nothing in the footage says it was a protest or a statement, and LeBron hasn't said a word about it. But this is Trump vs. LeBron, so it was never going to be about the footage. The 2 have been going at each other since Trump's first term, and Trump's "I said right from the beginning that he's no good" line is him reminding everyone of exactly that.

The game itself barely made it into the story. Philly went into MSG on the Knicks' ring night and beat the defending champs 106-100. LeBron played 34 minutes in his Sixers debut and finished with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. He came over this summer after 8 seasons with the Lakers, and Jaylen Brown signed too, so the roster now has Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Brown and LeBron. That's a Philly team built to win right now.

And the timing could not be worse, or better, depending on who you are. Trump posted on the same day as LeBron's regular-season home debut: Thursday at 7 p.m. at home against Cleveland, the franchise he played 11 seasons for and won the 2016 title with. Now every camera in the building is going to be pointed at him when the anthem starts.

That's what to watch tonight. Does LeBron stand completely still, does he say anything, or does he just let it go like he's done with plenty of Trump shots before? As of Thursday, neither LeBron nor the Sixers had answered. The first thing anyone will notice is how he stands during the anthem, before the ball even goes up.