After LeBron James helped lead Team USA to a gold medal victory over France, he has received criticism for how he treated a kid in an unfriendly encounter which has since went viral.
Following the U.S.'s 98-87 win vs. the host country at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, LeBron was on his way to celebrate with the rest of his team, when a teenager got in his way.
Seemingly, the kid just wanted to take a picture with LeBron, when the world's all-time leading scorer repeatedly yelled back at him, "Stop, stop, stop... don't do that," while walking into the night club.
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.
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
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 11, 2024
The video doesn't showcase one of LeBron's finer moments, as it actually got worse at the end of the clip when the Los Angeles Lakers star appears to be dancing a few seconds after rejecting the boy.
To point out, at 39 years old, LeBron did have reasons to celebrate as he was named the MVP of the basketball portion for the 2024 Paris Olympics, averaging 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 8.5 assists throughout all his six games.
While some took to LeBron's defense saying that he deserves personal space, many thought that he could have been nicer to the Parisian teen, who probably is a huge fan... maybe not so much anymore.
Ultimately, in representing America as the country's Olympic flag bearer, LeBron may have wished he handled himself better in this scenario; nevertheless, nothing can take away from the success he has had on the court in bringing home a gold medal to the U.S. for now the third time in his career.
LeBron James caps off an INCREDIBLE Olympic career:
🔸 3x Olympic gold medals
🔸 1x Olympic bronze medal
🔸 1st all-time in Olympic triple-doubles
🔸 1st all-time in Olympic steals
🔸 2nd all-time in Olympic assists
🔸 4th all-time in Olympic wins
🔸 2024 Olympics MVP pic.twitter.com/YlNuQKsXDK— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) August 11, 2024
Related: Olympic Last Dance: Team USA Defeats France To Win Fifth Consecutive Gold Medal
