Getty Images LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.
LeBron James had heard enough from a pair of fans during the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 124-116 overtime victory against the Indiana Pacers, getting the courtside duo ejected on Wednesday.
The broadcast caught James grabbing the referee and guiding him over to a man and a woman sitting courtside. Midway through overtime the Lakers star pointed at the duo and could be heard saying, “right f–cking here.” A worker from the arena came and escorted the duo off the floor.
James briefly discussed what happened after the game but didn’t go into detail. However, he made it clear that they went over the line.
“I mean, nothing is uncomfortable for me,” James said, “but there is a difference between cheering on your home faithful, or booing opponents or things of that nature, not wanting your opponents to be successful, and then there are moments where it goes outside the line with gestures and words that shouldn’t be tolerated in our game. From nobody. Things I would never say to a fan, and a fan should never say to a player.”
Rumors swirled on the internet about what was said to trigger James. Many pointed to a comment from a fan who was allegedly in the building and heard the insults being thrown at “The King.”
“I was there. It was more than those two but they were the loudest. The girl said, ‘I hope Bronny dies in a car wreck.’ The guy kept chirping like a chicken sound. ‘Bronnys a bih bih bih. They were asked by staff to cool it once or twice, but hey.”
If this is true, then Lebron has more restraint than most of us would.
Ban them for life. Let them watch the games from the comfort of their MAGA rallies.
LeBron No Stranger to ‘Courtside Karens’
James is a target for heckling and insults in every away building the Lakers play in, as he has been basically since entering the league. He’s had his run-ins with fans through his 22 seasons, but one with “Courtside Karen” last year in Atlanta got some significant attention.
James clashed with a pair of fans, later identified as Juliana and Chris Carlos.
“I don’t have an issue with LeBron. I don’t give a f–k about LeBron,” Juliana Carlos said in a video following the incident.” All of the sudden, LeBron says something to my husband, and I see this and I stand up. And I go, ‘Don’t f—ing talk to my husband.’ And he looks at me and he goes, ‘Sit the f— down, b—-.’ And I go, ‘Don’t f—ing call me a b—-. You sit the f— down. Get the f— out of here. Don’t f—ing talk to my husband like that.’”
PRAY FOR LEBRON
James took the high road in his postgame press conference but did note that maybe the two had a little too much to drink, leading to the confrontation.
“They might have had a couple drinks, maybe,” he said. “And they could have probably kept it going during the game, and the game wouldn’t have been about the game no more, so I think the referees did what they had to do.”