Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is facing major criticism for how he entered the Galen Center to watch his son, Bronny, play in his first collegiate game following his cardiac arrest of the summer.
James walked into the arena with his younger son Bryce and two of his Sierra Canyon High School teammates. The video showed James entering the arena while the national anthem was playing. This is not unusual as fans do it all the time at sporting events.
However, James immediately sat in his chair as “The Star-Spangled Banner” blared on the speakers and he failed to remove his hat.
Orange County Register reporter Luca Evans, who caught the incident on video, claimed LeBron James frequently enters games during the anthem to limit his exposure.
“LeBron has done this for YEARS in Bronny’s time at Sierra Canyon,” Evans wrote on X. “It’s objectively the best time to walk in so he doesn’t cause a massive stir.”
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Fans still took to social media and ripped the Lakers great. He was immediately criticized for allegedly having “zero respect” for the U.S. as well as hating the country because he didn’t stand for the anthem.
James has been getting backlash ever since he and other NBA players famously knelt during the national anthem in 2020 and wore shirts that read “Black Lives Matter” in protest of the police-involved shooting of Jacob Blake.
The Lakers star at the time said he hoped they made Colin Kaepernick “proud.”
“Kap was someone who stood up when times weren’t comfortable. When people didn’t understand, when people refused to listen to what he was saying,” he said at the time. “You go back and look at any of his postgame interviews when he was talking about why he was kneeling — it had absolutely nothing to do about the flag, he had absolutely nothing to do about soldiers.”
James hasn’t knelt during the national anthem since 2020.
Bronny James, eldest son of NBA legend LeBron James, made his long-anticipated college debut Sunday at the University of Southern California after being sidelined for almost five months.
James suffered a cardiac arrest during a workout in July, losing consciousness on the court and it put his basketball career in doubt.
In his first game since being out, James played under a minutes restriction, finishing with four points, three rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes. The Trojans fell in an 84-79 overtime loss to Long Beach State.
