LeBron James knows better than anyone how quickly the internet can turn on you.
Just two days ago, the basketball superstar was the center of an avalanche of praise as he helped lead the United States to a gold medal at the 2024 Olympics, defeating France in the men's basketball final in Paris.
It was the third Olympic gold medal in his career and likely could be his last given his age. If it is, he went out on top, earning Olympic MVP honors in the process.
However, the win is old news now. What has set social media buzzing is a video of James turning down a young fan who was looking for a photograph, and the internet is turning against James (for now).
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LeBron James fan video
The video that has everyone taking shots at the king shows James and his crew arriving at a venue to celebrate the gold medal win by the United States. As James and his company are moving from a car to the inside of the establishment, security encourages people to back away, giving the group space to walk.
As James circles around a car, a young fan comes up to him with a phone in hand, presumably looking for a picture. However, the basketball star was not in the mood for a picture, telling the kid, "Stop, stop, stop. Don't do that."
Here are two videos showing the incident:
NEW: NBA star LeBron James is under fire for snapping at a young fan who asked for a picture after winning gold at the Olympics.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 11, 2024
James was seen telling the kid ‘stop’ before he pulled off a dance move while entering the venue.
“Stop, stop, stop” he said to the kid.
James was… pic.twitter.com/VQj3Z9M8X8
It’s hard to dislike someone more than LeBron James. pic.twitter.com/MlZnPkC62F
— Pizza Pepe (@RealPizzaPepe) August 11, 2024
James then works his way to the entrance, where he pauses to break out a dance move before heading indoors.
It's unclear exactly why James snubbed the fan of a photo. Perhaps he did not want someone invading his personal space, especially after the crowd was told to back off. On the other hand, the admirer was already next to him and a quick picture would have taken only a couple of seconds.
The three-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time NBA champion has not made any comments on the matter, nor has addressed any of the backlash he has received online.
