Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James found himself embroiled in controversy after a video surfaced on social media showing him sitting during the National Anthem. The incident took place when the ‘King’ walked courtside at the debut of his son, Bronny James, at the University of Southern California (USC).
Bronny was making his debut just five months after suffering cardiac arrest during a workout.
James described watching his son’s college debut, especially in light of the health scare, as “emotional.”
“Can’t even tell y’all how EMOTIONAL today was for me!” the justifiably proud father wrote on Instagram.
“I’m literally drained and all I can say is @bronny you’re simply INCREDIBLE!! Damn the wins and loses that will occur,” he added. “You’ve already won the ultimate goal/championship and that’s LIFE!”
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LeBron James Ignores The National Anthem?
Critics of the outspoken basketball star suggest that video online shows LeBron James ignoring the playing of the National Anthem before Bronny’s game.
The clip was posted by Orange County Register reporter Luca Evans.
James can be seen holding the hand of his daughter while walking to his seat and, after a few seconds of getting situated, the two sit even as the song continues playing.
Trending Politics co-owner Collin Rugg picked up on the video and blasted LeBron for his actions.
“LeBron James casually walks into the basketball arena while the National Anthem is playing and takes a seat. Zero respect for the country that gave him the opportunity to be a basketball star,” Rugg wrote on X.
“Zero respect for the country that allowed him to become a billionaire.”
The reporter who posted the video quickly fired back, suggesting LeBron James uses this tactic to attend his son’s sporting events without causing a scene.
“As the reporter who took this video, this is gross and completely mischaracterizes the situation. LeBron has done this for YEARS in Bronny’s time at Sierra Canyon,” Evans responded.
“It’s objectively the best time to walk in so he doesn’t cause a massive stir. Stop it.”
Perhaps the timing is ideal to create less of a commotion, but it still doesn’t explain why James almost immediately sat down and never removed his hat.
That said, this seems more a case of LeBron simply not paying attention to his surroundings than it was something intentional or malicious.
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James Goes On Gun Control Rant
James has long been criticized for doing more than dribbling a basketball. He is a vocal advocate for social justice and uses his platform to raise awareness about controversial matters.
He recently demanded stricter gun control laws in America following the shooting on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).
“It makes no sense that we continue to lose innocent lives. The fact that we haven’t changed anything – it’s actually been a lot easier to own a firearm,” he told reporters. “It’s stupid.”
LeBron James and his Lakers teammates took a knee during the National Anthem in the summer of 2020. They were wearing “Black Lives Matters” shirts even as BLM protesters were looting businesses and setting fire to buildings during the race riots of 2020.
This is different. He simply sat down while the anthem was playing. Although with James, you never know, he might have just instinctively flopped and fell into his seat.
