Trump says LeBron James disrespected the national anthem; coverage of the episode splits sharply

President Donald Trump wrote on social media that LeBron James disrespected the country while listening to the national anthem, and he urged James to apologize to those who died for the American flag. The post followed video of James swinging his arms and mimicking a basketball shot as the anthem played before the Philadelphia 76ers' game against the New York Knicks on Tuesday night. Trump has said people should stand at attention with their right hand over their heart, while Awful Announcing noted that athletes often sway or listen with their hands at their sides. Commentator Stephen A. Smith said Trump was using James as a political tool. Separately, The Washington Post reported that James was ruled out of the 76ers' Saturday game against the Milwaukee Bucks because of lower back pain, the first game of a back-to-back.

The Washington Post, the only left-leaning source here, leads with James's injury and his absence from Saturday's game, and its excerpt does not mention Trump or the anthem. The alternative sources diverge: Awful Announcing features Trump's post and Smith's political-tool claim, while TMZ leads with Trump backing a Vivek Ramaswamy ad and calling out James, alongside other celebrity items. The right-leaning sources frame the story differently. The Blaze, through host Jason Whitlock, presents James and the WNBA as part of a troubling pattern of skipping or stretching through the anthem. The Daily Mail focuses on fans booing a halftime performer at James's home debut against the Cleveland Cavaliers, a game it describes as Thursday night, when the Sixers trailed by 27 points. Both sides agree James is the central figure, but the left leads with injury, the right with anthem conduct and crowd reaction, and only the right sources build the anthem into their main frame.