76ers Rally From 29 Down as Trump Takes Aim at LeBron James

The Philadelphia 76ers rallied from 29 points down to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106 on Thursday night. The comeback was the biggest of LeBron James's career, and it came in the same week that President Donald Trump publicly criticized him over his behavior during the national anthem.

Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 32 points. Jaylen Brown scored 21 in his first home game in a 76ers uniform, with 17 of those points coming after halftime and 10 in the fourth quarter. James finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals. The Guardian reported that the comeback was the largest by the Sixers since the 1996-97 season, based on play-by-play records, which log every shot and possession.

The feud began earlier in the week. Before Philadelphia's season opener against the New York Knicks on Tuesday, James was lined up with his teammates during the national anthem and made some warm-up movements. Trump posted a video of those movements with the caption "LeBron working on his golf swing pregame." The clip showed James swinging his arms side to side and making shooting motions.

On Truth Social, the social media platform Trump uses, he wrote that James "disrespects the country" while the anthem played. He called James "a TOTAL DISGRACE" and said James should apologize to American warriors and heroes who died for the American flag, according to KTVB. Trump returned to the subject at a campaign rally in Iowa on Thursday night, calling the matter "a big scandal kind of a story."

James did not wait long to answer. After the Cleveland win, he said, "It must be a slow news day at the office."

Sixers coach Nick Nurse took a more measured line. He described the president's comments as outside noise, and said his team should tune them out and focus on basketball.

For a player who is 41, the night carried its own bit of history. James is entering his 24th NBA season, a record for a player, and his fourth team. He is the kind of athlete whose every pregame move now gets noticed, and this week that meant a video of him loosening up before tip-off became a national talking point.

For casual fans, the basketball story is simple. Philadelphia fell behind by nearly 30 points and clawed its way back, with its newest star and its longest-tenured one both contributing. The argument about the anthem is still going, and it has nothing to do with the final score.