LeBron James’ chilly encounter with child fan in Paris sparks backlash from critics who call NBA star ‘rude’ and arrogant

LeBron James won his third profession gold medal on the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, but because the games come to a detailed, the American basketball superstar is facing criticism for an ungainly interaction with a young fan in France.

A video circulating online shows the four-time NBA champion getting out of a sprint van with a gold medal around his neck. According to News of the daywas standing in front of a Parisian restaurant.

“Stop! Stop! Stop! Don’t do this,” James told the child because the Los Angeles Lakers player walked toward the venue through a crowd of onlookers and paparazzi.

After the 39-year-old father of three reprimanded the boy, people in the realm may very well be heard saying “congratulations” and “champion.” The supportive atmosphere on the scene was met with negative response on social media.

“This is the real LeBron James. Look at him gesturing and belittling this little kid. This boy is a child who idolizes him and he couldn’t give him a second of his time. Disgusting!” – One critic he tweeted.

Numerous tweets referred to LeBron as a “POS.” He was also in comparison with other famous athletes, corresponding to skilled tennis player and 2024 Olympic gold medalist Novak Djokovic.

“LeBron James’ arrogance tonight is something a superstar like Novak Djokovic would never be rude to a kid who just wants his autograph or some kind of validation” user X filed a criticism.

James’ fans also got here to the defense of the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, with lots of the comments specializing in the proven fact that celebrities like James might want some privacy and freedom to maneuver in public.

“Yes, because a person’s personal space is important, whether they’re famous or not. They’re human too. Did they do something wrong? No. Could they have been a little more polite, yes, sure. But there’s no fault here. Carry on!” James’s supporter posted.

Another defender he tweeted“I know it seems cruel. It is cruel. But I’m not going to pretend that I know what it’s like to be as famous as he is and what it’s like to deal with that every day of your life.”

The debate over the incident took a racist turn since the child in the clip gave the impression to be white. One Account X wrote“LeBron James tells a white kid who’s a fan to back off and get out of the way so he can celebrate his gold medal. What a complete s—”

Another person he replied“Now they’re saying LeBron is racist because of this. Notice the same people who have the KKK, Neo-Nazis, White Nationalists, etc. A black person does the slightest thing and the hate comes out! So he told the kid to back off, maybe that was rude but how is that racist? Smdh.”

In June, reports claimed that LeBron James had one other rude exchange outside a New York City restaurant, with a person accusing James of refusing to take an image with him and threatening to do “shitty” to the daddy of three.

A disgruntled fan allegedly revealed that James had dined at Au Cheval on Cortlandt Alley. While the alleged doxxer didn’t conclusively prove that James had been there, the footage went viral.

Unlike James’ much-criticized moment with the fan in Paris, the New York fan was met with more resistance than support, with some social media users suggesting James must have sued.

“He’s so cliché. LeBron, or any other athlete, has no right to take a picture with you just because you’re a fan. And posting his location, knowing how evil the world is, is awful. I usually don’t agree with lawsuits, but this is an exception!!!” someone answered.

James and the remaining of Team USA won the boys’s basketball tournament on the Paris Olympics, securing the gold medal. The United States defeated France 98–87 in the ultimate on August 10. James was named the tournament MVP.