{"id":72946,"date":"2026-06-06T01:54:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T04:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/2026\/06\/06\/trump-raises-concern-over-nba-players-gesture-during-national-anthem-before-spurs-star-appears-to-hit-back\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T01:54:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T04:54:00","slug":"trump-raises-concern-over-nba-players-gesture-during-national-anthem-before-spurs-star-appears-to-hit-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/2026\/06\/06\/trump-raises-concern-over-nba-players-gesture-during-national-anthem-before-spurs-star-appears-to-hit-back\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump raises concern over NBA player&#8217;s gesture during national anthem&#8230; before Spurs star appears to hit back"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"js-article-text\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>See more Daily Mail on Google &#8211; <a rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=dailymail.com\">save us as a Preferred Source<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>By <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.com\/profile-148\/alex-raskin.html\">ALEX RASKIN, US SPORTS NEWS EDITOR<\/a> <\/p>\n<p><span> <span>Published:<\/span> <time datetime=\"2026-06-05T23:10:53+0100\"> 18:10 EDT, 5 June 2026 <\/time> <\/span> | <span> <span>Updated:<\/span> <time datetime=\"2026-06-06T05:54:07+0100\"> 00:54 EDT, 6 June 2026 <\/time> <\/span> <\/p>\n<div itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<p><a target=\"_self\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.com\/news\/donald_trump\/index.html\" id=\"mol-0ef97a90-6143-11f1-83cf-6da5e0f2efa2\">Donald Trump<\/a> questioned the posture <a target=\"_self\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.com\/sport\/san-antonio-spurs\/index.html\" id=\"mol-0f02f070-6143-11f1-83cf-6da5e0f2efa2\">San Antonio Spurs<\/a> center Victor Wembanyama exhibited during the national anthem at Game 1 of the <a target=\"_self\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.com\/sport\/nba\/index.html\" id=\"mol-0f06e810-6143-11f1-83cf-6da5e0f2efa2\">NBA<\/a> Finals, only for the 22-year-old Frenchman to strike a much different pose in Game 2.<\/p>\n<p>Before tipping off with the <a target=\"_self\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.com\/sport\/new-york-knicks\/index.html\" id=\"mol-0f033e90-6143-11f1-83cf-6da5e0f2efa2\">New York Knicks<\/a> on Friday in San Antonio, Wembanyama was seen praying during The Star-Spangled Banner as his teammates placed their hands over their hearts or at their sides. Two nights earlier, Wembanyama&#8217;s arms were folded across his 7ft 5in frame as the song was performed before the series opener.<\/p>\n<p>Trump was asked about Wembanyama&#8217;s Game 1 posture by <a target=\"_self\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.com\/news\/fox-news\/index.html\" id=\"mol-0570c2c0-612b-11f1-83cf-6da5e0f2efa2\">Fox News<\/a>&#8216; conservative sports website, Outkick, while aboard Air Force One on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;I did not see that,&#8217; Trump said hours before Game 2 tipped off. &#8216;Is that what he did? What did he mean by that?&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Outkick&#8217;s Dan Zaksheske responded by telling the President: &#8216;Nobody asked him.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;I guess you&#8217;ll have to ask him,&#8217; Trump said.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Victor Wembanyama was seen in a prayer position during the national anthem on Friday<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Victor Wembanyama stood with his arms folded across his 7ft 5in frame before Game 1<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Wisconsin<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Some online critics have suggested Wembanyama was intentionally disrespecting the United States during Wednesday&#8217;s anthem.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;The dude can&#8217;t even respect the American National Anthem being sung,&#8217; one critic wrote on X, echoing a sentiment held by many others.<\/p>\n<p>Outside of Luke Kornet and Mason Plumlee, who placed their hands over their hearts, most of the Spurs positioned their arms at their sides during the performance.<\/p>\n<p>This also infuriated online critics.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Spurs players REFUSE to put their hands over their hearts for the national anthem!&#8217; online influencer Matt Wallace wrote on X. &#8216;They are making millions of dollars to play a child&#8217;s game and still feel oppressed somehow<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Only 2 players covered their hearts. Take note of which ones!&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>The post came across Stephen A. Smith&#8217;s attention, prompting the ESPN host to issue a scathing response to Wallace.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Wembanyama struggled in Game 1 as the Knicks came back to steal the opener in San Antonio<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_Gq225WkYB0?rel=0\" allowfullscreen scrolling=\"no\" allow=\"accelerometer *; clipboard-write *; encrypted-media *; gyroscope *; picture-in-picture *; web-share *;\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8216;This is patently false,&#8217; Smith wrote. &#8216;There are plenty of people who listen to the Nat&#8217;l Anthem and simply bow their heads with their hands in front of them or behind their backs and pay respects.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Holding your hand over your heart is not a requirement. The Spurs were not being disrespectful in anyway. Who is anyone to say they were just over that gesture? That is utterly ridiculous!!!&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Wembanyama has not yet been asked about his posture during the anthem. Reporters likely won&#8217;t have a chance during Friday&#8217;s post-game media availability, when questions typically focus on competition.<\/p>\n<p>His decision to pray during Friday&#8217;s anthem also angered Wallace, who accused Wembanyama of covering his face.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Victor Wembanyama covers his face during the national anthem!&#8217; Wallace wrote on X. &#8216;This is the most disrespectful thing I have ever seen a foreign player do while playing in the United States. Unbelievable.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Wembanyama does not identify with any specific religion, but was seen wearing a traditional Middle Eastern garment during the Muslim holiday of Etid al-Adha.<\/p>\n<p>Although he has never protested during the anthem, Wembanyama has expressed concerns about immigration enforcement in the United States, as well as the plight of Palestinians in Gaza.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The Nuggets&#8217; Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf is seen praying before a 1995 NBA game in Denver<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" class href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.com\/sport\/nba\/article-11706707\/Kaepernicks-predecessor-Mahmoud-Abdul-Rauf-opens-national-anthem-controversy-new-film.html\">Decades earlier, the Denver Nuggets&#8217; Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf drew criticism <\/a>for refusing to stand during the national anthem.<\/p>\n<p>It was in 1996 that Abdul-Rauf began sitting during The Star-Spangled banner or remaining in the locker room until the song was completed.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;I&#8217;m a Muslim first and a Muslim last,&#8217; he told reporters at the time. &#8216;My duty is to my creator, not to nationalistic ideology.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Unlike Colin Kaepernick in the NFL years later, the NBA suspended Abdul-Rauf by citing a rule that players and coaches must &#8216;stand and line up in a dignified posture&#8217; during anthems. He quickly compromised with the league, agreeing to stand during the anthem while quietly praying.<\/p>\n<p>In 2023, Adul-Rauf told The Daily Mail he had no regrets over his protests.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                                                                                                                                  <ad-slot position=\"smart_feed\"><\/ad-slot>                                                                <ad-slot position=\"after_article\"><\/ad-slot>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>See more Daily Mail on Google &#8211; save us as a Preferred Source By ALEX RASKIN, US SPORTS NEWS EDITOR Published: 18:10 EDT, 5 June 2026 | Updated: 00:54 EDT, 6 June 2026 Donald Trump questioned the posture San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama exhibited during the national anthem at Game 1 of the NBA [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":72947,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-donald-trump"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72946"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72946\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/service.codeus.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}