Watch: LeBron James singing Canadian anthem resurfaces online amid recent national anthem backlash
An old video of LeBron James has resurfaced online. During the 2020 Bubble, James’ LA Lakers played against the Toronto Raptors. James and his teammates kneeled arm-in-arm during the national anthems in support of civil rights movements of the time. During the Canadian national anthem, however, James was seen mouthing some of the words.
This of course brought out the haters and internet trolls. Some questioned his love for the country while others thought it may be a sign of shade towards the United States and its national anthem.
The time period was politically and racially charged. It was the height of the Black Lives Matter protests and near the time of the murder of George Floyd, which sparked racial unrest throughout the USA in the summer of 2020. NBA players protested and stopped games from being played during the Bubble at one point in solidarity with the movement.
James clearly was not singing all of the words. He did appear to mouth the word “Canada” at least. It was, however, not the first time James received backlash in a national anthem situation. He also got flack recently when attending a game at USC.
LeBron James faces backlash at USC game
LeBron James was in the crowd to watch his son Bronny’s college basketball debut. James was in attendance as his eldest son appeared in his first game since returning from a cardiac arrest.
Bronny scored four points on 1-of-3 in 17 minutes. James still loved every second of it as he praised his son and the experience postgame. USC lost 84-79 to Long Beach State.
However, LeBron did leave with some negative backlash. He caught some slack for entering the arena during the national anthem. He and his two other children walked to their courtside seats as the anthem was playing through the arena. Some online trolls criticized LeBron James for his timing, viewing it as disrespect to the country.