LeBron James has a net worth of over $1 billion thanks to the United States of America. Nowhere else on earth could a basketball player rise from being born to a teenage mother in Akron, Ohio, to international fame.
And yet, what happened when “The Star-Spangled Banner” was played before the season opener on Wednesday night? Short of kneeling or raising his middle finger, it couldn’t have gotten more disrespectful.
James otherwise had a good night to begin his 24th NBA season.
His new team, the Philadelphia 76ers, upended the defending champion New York Knicks 106-100 at Madison Square Garden, with James notching 14 points.
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Given that he’ll have a reduced role on a Sixers team that looks stocked to at least make a one-off run at the title, these were promising early returns.
Less promising, however, was James’ respect for the anthem.
Apparently, he thought it was time to work on his slice and his free throws:
This isn’t the first time he’s gotten in trouble for disrespecting the national anthem.
During an entrance at his son’s game at the University of Southern California in 2023, for instance, he decided to make his entrance during the anthem itself, which got slammed on social media:
And in 2019, he decided to psych up his Lakers teammates during “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
This time, however, was much more obvious ingratitude, and it got him the kind of unwanted attention that could end up becoming a distraction if this behavior continues:
That about sums it up.
James’ liberalism has been, more or less, overlooked by most NBA fans even though he’s an unthinking fool when expressing his views.
That said, to lazily disrespect the anthem — and by extension, America — like this is a bridge too far for most patriots.
If you want to stop cashing checks, LeBron, you may. You’ve earned enough to support yourself and your family through a thousand lifetimes.
You’re in the rarefied air of human beings who commute to work by helicopter, for crying out loud — if you don’t want to be there, you don’t have to do it. But if you do, don’t treat the national anthem as if it were high time for golf practice.
This article originally appeared on The Western Journal and is reposted with permission.
