The NBA is back. If you’re like me and you don’t watch – ever – then you have to rely on social media and stories like this to remind you of exactly why you don’t need to care about the league or why you might even hold a certain degree of contempt for the league.

Why marquee players insist on being grown-up children who, no matter how much attention they already get, it’s never enough. I give you LeBron “Eighth-Grade Education” James.

Look at how disrespectful LeBron James is being during the National Anthem, putting on a show of his own! He had benefited from this country but will not honor it! https://t.co/Fz2NEOiezF

— John K. Amanchukwu Sr. (@REVWUTRUTH) October 22, 2026

That’s him in a Philadelphia 76ers uniform in Madison Square Garden about to play the New York Knicks. He’s the one working pretty hard to draw all the attention to himself while everyone else in the arena would rather be paying tribute to the American flag and perhaps remembering a loved one or friend who died for this country. They’d rather be thinking of the people who made the ultimate sacrifice for their freedom, and for the freedom of illiterate millionaires like James to make fools of themselves in this way.

Okay, I did some checking. It was brought to my attention that James did complete 12 years of schooling, but given his status as a pampered basketball player at that Catholic high school in Ohio, it’s not clear whether he actually is able to satisfy the reading, math, and English proficiencies required to get that high school diploma. But he did receive a diploma. Still, based on his media interviews and comments in public, it would still seem to me that he’s about as sharp as a pound of wet leather. I don't think he's smarter than a fifth grader.

I’ve never been good at compartmentalizing a player’s character or moral failures and that same player’s athletic abilities. It’s why, for just about all of Ben Roethlisberger’s tenure with the Steelers, I had general difficulty rooting for him, and in the process, my favorite NFL team.

Growing up, I was a die-hard Pittsburgh Pirates fan, and that was an understatement. But as an adult, when I worked for the team’s flagship radio station and I interfaced with some of the players and the organization on a regular basis, the shine came off the apple, so to speak. There were a handful of exceptions. Bill Mazeroski was my childhood idol, and he reinforced that when I met him. Kent Tekulve is about as warm and genuine a person as you could ever meet. And Richie Hebner was probably my favorite, but unfortunately, I can't print most of the words he said when we met.

Then later, when I worked for a large PR firm for ten years, the Pirates were a client of mine. Seeing how things operated behind the scenes and actually being a part of the business of it didn’t restore that childlike affinity for the Bucs I once had, and which so many adult fans do have. My experiences simply confirmed just how flawed these coddled athletes can be.

But none of that compares to an athlete like James who obviously finds it impossible to comport himself during the 90 seconds it takes to sing the National Anthem.

I’ll bet you’re wondering if President Donald Trump saw James’s disgraceful display. Wonder no more.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, he wrote, "While listening to our National Anthem, LeBron James disrespects our Country!... I said right from the beginning that he’s no good, a TOTAL DISGRACE. LeBron James should apologize to all of those Great American Warriors and Heroes who died for the American Flag, and all that our Country stands for!"

While listening to our National Anthem, LeBron James disrespects our Country! I said right from the beginning that he’s no good, a TOTAL DISGRACE. LeBron James should apologize to all of those Great American Warriors and Heroes who died for the American Flag, and all that our Country stands for! President DONALD J. TRUMP ( TS: Oct 22 2026, 12:22 PM ET )‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‌‌

— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) October 22, 2026

Not to be outdone, the WNBA, which is the subsidized women’s professional basketball league that still isn’t sure what a woman is, had to get in on the “hate America” act. This is what it looks like when the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries, both vying for the league’s championship, decide to run off the court moments before the National Anthem is played.

Seconds before the national anthem begins, players from both WNBA Finals teams jog off the court. And for the third straight game, they don't return until the song is over. The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries repeat the routine Wednesday night at State Farm Arena, despite league rules requiring players, coaches and trainers to stand in line during the anthem. @Outkick reports that the WNBA, both teams and the NBA have yet to answer questions about the repeated absences or whether any disciplinary action is being considered. See what else OutKick observed during the Game 3 anthem: https://t.co/IVGC5qXiq4

— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 22, 2026

The way they ran off the court, you’d have thought that this American pre-game tradition was about to cause them undue harm. What do they have against freedom and the sacrifices made by some of their own ancestors? Sorry, that was a rhetorical question. I’m not about to stick around for the answer.

Here’s the bottom line. I’m not calling for a boycott of these clowns. If you and I are on the same page, we’re not watching them anyway. But I think as Americans, it’s still within our purview to maintain that even if we aren’t the audience for these leagues, we still have the right to expect all professional leagues to respect the country. They benefit greatly from the good fortune of being able to operate in America.

The least they can do is make and enforce rules that are designed to respect our flag and our anthem before every game. If they refuse to do that, I don’t think they deserve the privilege to compete in our publicly funded stadiums and arenas.

That’s a start. I’m sure that while I’m watching college football this weekend, I’ll come up with some other measures that can be taken to pressure the NBA and WNBA to start playing ball with us patriots.