LeBron James won his third gold medal of his career at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. However, as the Olympics comes to an end, the America basketball superstar is left facing backlash for an awkward interaction with a young fan in France.
Footage circulating on the internet shows the four-time NBA champion getting out of a sprinter van with his gold medal around his neck. According to the Daily News, he was outside a Parisian restaurant.
“Stop! Stop! Stop! Don’t do that,” James told a child as the Los Angeles Lakers player walked toward the establishment in front of a crowd of onlookers and paparazzi.
After the 39-year-old father of three chastised the boy, other people in the area could be heard saying “congratulations” and “champion.” That supportive vibe at the scene was met with backlash on social media.
“Here is the real LeBron James. Look at him gesturing and belittling that little kid. This boy is a child who idolizes him, and he couldn’t give him a second of his time. Sickening!” one criticizer tweeted.
Numerous tweets referred to LeBron as a “POS.” In addition, he was compared to other high-profile athletes like professional tennis player and 2024 Olympic gold medalist Novak Djokovic.
“Arrogance from LeBron James this evening, this is something a fellow huge superstar like Novak Djokovic would never ever be rude to a kid simply wanting his autograph or just some sort of acknowledgment,” an X user complained.
James’ fans jumped to the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player’s defense as well. A lot of comments focused on celebrities like James being allowed to want some privacy and room to maneuver while in public.
“Yes, cause a person’s personal space is important, no matter if they are famous or not. They are humans as well. Did he do anything wrong? No. Could he have been a little more polite, yeah, sure. But there is no fault here. Keep it moving!” a James backer posted.
“Two sides to every story and like I said: why in the phuck that kid ain’t in bed lol,” wrote another fan. “Where is his parents with his bad ass Boi them muthaphuckas in France is show is racist lol.”
Another defender tweeted, “I know it looks mean. It is mean. But I’m also not gonna pretend I know what it’s like being as famous as him and what it’s like to deal with that every day of your life.”
The debate over the incident took a racial turn because the child in the clip appeared to be Caucasian. One X account wrote, “LeBron James tells a white kid who’s a fan to back the f–k up and get out of the way so he can celebrate his gold medal. What a complete piece of s–t.”
Another person responded, “Now they are saying LeBron is racist because of this. Mind you the same people who have the KKK, Neo-Nazis, White Nationalists etc. Let a Black person do the most minuscule thing and the hate comes right out! So, he told the kid to back up, maybe it was rude but how is that racist? Smdh.”
In June, reports claimed LeBron James had another rude exchange near a restaurant in New York City. A man accused James of refusing to take a picture with him and threatened to make “sh— dumb hot” for the father of three.
The disgruntled fan then supposedly revealed James was dining at Au Cheval on Cortlandt Alley. While the alleged doxxer did not definitively prove that James was at the location, the video rant went viral.
Unlike James’ heavily criticized moment with the fan in Paris, the New York City-based fan was met with more pushback than reinforcement. Some social media users suggested James should have filed a lawsuit.
“He is so corny. LeBron, or any other athlete for that matter, is not entitled to take a picture with you just because you are a fan. And posting his location, knowing how bad the world is, horrendous. Normally, I don’t agree with people getting sued, but this is an exception!!!” someone replied.
James and the rest of Team USA won the men’s basketball tournament at the Paris Olympics to secure gold medal placement. The United States defeated France 98–87 in the finals on Aug. 10. James was named the tournament’s MVP.
