LeBron James Sits During National Anthem to Avoid Causing a 'Massive Stir.' Controversy or No?

A viral video seen almost seven million times as of this writing shows Lakers star LeBron James entering USC’s Galen Center in Los Angeles Tuesday to watch his son Bronny's college basketball game. As a singer belts out the national anthem, the billionaire hoopster and his entourage make their entrance, and then LeBron sits down and doesn't take off his hat, as is customary.

To be fair, note that the video only shows 34 seconds of the anthem:

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.

Zero respect for the country that allowed him to become a billionaire.

Zero respect… pic.twitter.com/NaTmdeOabx
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 13, 2023

Zero respect for the men and women who defend our country so he can live his life. Shameful.

At the very end of the video, he does appear to stand up, but it’s not clear if he's just rearranging his seating or actually acknowledging The Star-Spangled Banner.

Reaction to the clip has been heated, with UFC star Colby Covington coming down especially hard on LeBron:

JUST IN: UFC star Colby Covington goes off on LeBron James for not respecting the United States.

🔥🔥🔥

“If you hate America so much and you don't like this country that gave you a billion dollars, leave it or come deal with me.”

“You go to China, go to these sweat shops that… pic.twitter.com/sZQC5ZIt5p
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 13, 2023

“You go to China, go to these sweat shops that you employ all these laborers and use these women and pay 'em pennies on the dollar to make your millions.” “F*** you LeBron James. You're a coward. You're a spineless coward, and you're a b*tch.”

Now, I personally find that a bit much and suspect it’s Covington’s attempt to get more publicity for his upcoming match this Saturday. But Covington wasn’t alone; there were numerous posts calling LeBron “shameful” and accusing him of hating his country.

Not everyone, however. The Orange County Register reporter who took the video told everyone to just chill:

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. It’s objectively the best time to walk in so he doesn’t cause a massive stir. Stop it.

So the question is: who’s right? The reporter, Luca Evans, or the many people who think James showed a lack of respect for the country that’s helped him become a billionaire?

I weighed in on the matter Tuesday on Fox News @ Night with Trace Gallagher and agreed with those who thought it was a bad look:

Here’s my discussion with @tracegallagher about @KingJames’ entrance during the national anthem.

Your thoughts? https://t.co/MXn9BzDpSa pic.twitter.com/9diA6RVK0X
— Bob Hoge (@Bob_Hoge_CA) December 13, 2023

My argument was that just because he "has done this for YEARS" doesn’t make it right. “Sorry you caught me smoking pot, Mom, but I’ve been doing it for months, so it’s really not a problem” wouldn’t fly very far with most parents. Additionally, the claim that he didn’t want to create a "stir" is ludicrous because he is smart enough to know that marching in during the Star-Spangled Banner and promptly sitting down would create a spectacle – which it certainly did, and has now led far more of a "stir" than if he'd just put his hand over his heart and faced the flag.

And what about the poor singer whose rendition of the nation's song was completely overshadowed?

To me, the matter is not that complicated – you stand for the anthem, period, end of sentence, or you’re dissing the country which gave you the opportunity to play basketball and the freedom to air your opinions.

Just don’t air those opinions during the Star-Spangled Banner.

Jamaican-born Roxanne Beckford, also known as Mrs. Hoge, had a couple of good points as well:

I have thoughts.

1. The anthem singer at high school games deserves better.

2. Jamaica's Usain Bolt knows how to handle the anthem of a different country.https://t.co/bH2giduWNM
— Roxanne Hoge (@RoxanneHoge) December 13, 2023

If Usain Bolt – who isn't a US citizen – can do it, why can't LeBron?

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