NBA legend LeBron James faced severe backlash on social media after he was accused of being disrespectful towards the national anthem. James was attending the debut of his son, Bronny James, for the USC Trojans, at the University of North Carolina on Sunday night.
The 19-year-old came made his collegiate debut for Southern California nearly five months after going into cardiac arrest during practice. James was detected with a congenital heart defect, but was cleared to play last month.
LeBron James is Proud of His Son
Bronny claimed four points, three assists and two rebounds during his brief appearance in the first half of the match.The USC lost 84-79 to Long Beach State. However, this did not deter the proud father to praise his son.
In an Instagram post, the four-time NBA champion wrote, "Can't even tell y'all how EMOTIONAL today was for me! I'm literally drained and all I can say is @bronny you're simply INCREDIBLE!! Damn the wins and loses that will occur. You've already won the ultimate goal/championship and that's LIFE!!!"
AP News reported that reacting to his son's debut, James said, "I think the most important thing, who cares about the win or the loss, the kid was standing tall and standing strong at the end of the game. That is a blessing in its own right, and that is a win. He's won at life, and everything else at this point is extra credit."
Controversy Surrounding LeBron James
The controversy about LeBron being disrespectful towards the national anthem erupted after a video showing him going towards his courtside seats while the national anthem was being performed inside the stadium, emerged on social media.
"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 for the men and women who defend our country so he can live his life. Shameful," wrote an X user while sharing the video.
Lebron James disrespected the National Anthem," wrote Terrence K Williams.
"These people disrespect the anthem that I almost died for. They have no idea on what sacrifice for their country is. Simply put, they are not Americans," wrote another user.
