The King was ruthless to the French fan
LeBron James’ interaction with a French fan is under scrutinyIG / AP
On Saturday night in Paris, LeBron James was so excited to go celebrate his gold medal with Team USA basketball that he broke character, sparking criticism for this strikingly rude interaction with a young French fan as he arrived at the club to party.
Watch LeBron James’ controversial interaction with young fan
To make it look even worse, James quickly shifted his energy just a few steps later, hitting a jubilant dance move with a smile on his face moments after brushing aside the Parisian teenager.
James capped off his third Olympic gold medal with 14 points in a resounding 98-87 victory over home nation France. Although Stephen Curry starred in the gold medal game and Kevin Durant broke the Team USA scoring record, King James was named MVP of the tournament.
James takes heat on social media
The 39-year-old looked as young as ever on the court, but his interaction with the fan brought out a stern, father-like discipline that did not earn much praise on social media.
“Dudes Hella rude to that kid,” responded one fan under the video on X, formerly Twitter.
“Man is a proud old man,” said another of his curmudgeonly behavior.
Plenty of resonable fans took James’ side on the matter, calling it a “power move” and arguing the kid should have listened to security and moved out of the way.
It may not have been LeBron’s finest moment, but the level of criticism he received for the “rude” interaction common among celebrities speaks to the high standard he has created for himself off the court.
It won’t take anything away from one of the crowning moments of his career: leading The Avengers to victory in Paris.
