“Don’t touch me fatty” – LeBron James pushing a fan away who came ‘too close’ to him during Lakers-Thunder game sparks mixed reactions on social media

The fan was escorted out by security after James shoved him.

“Don’t touch me fatty” – LeBron James pushing a fan away who came ‘too close’ to him during Lakers-Thunder game sparks mixed reactions on social media

LeBron James shoves a fan who came close to him while on the bench (Image via screengrab/X)

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is a fan favorite. However, with the Lakers season in turmoil, his interaction with a fan during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder brought out mixed reactions from basketball fans.

During the game, James just returned to the bench and was putting on his sweatshirt. A fan slipped through security and ended up near James. He put his arm around James and exchanged some words. Immediately, the 39-year-old superstar was seen pushing the fan away. This is when security noticed the fan and proceeded to escort him out of the arena.

YouTube video

Fan interactions are allowed for NBA games. However, not during a game. Security is employed in games to keep fans from having any effect on games. It seems, this fan somehow got through without the security noticing. It might seem that James was unfair to this fan, however, rules are rules and fans cannot interact with players during a game.

LeBron James returned after missing the previous games due to a left ankle injury. James and Anthony Davis combined for 52 points to lead the Lakers to victory. The Lakers winning against the second-best team in the Western Conference was a necessity as their season record currently stands at 20-21.

Fans have mixed emotions seeing fan favorite LeBron James pushes fans away

LeBron James is generally regarded as being excellent with fans. He has always been seen as a player of the fans. Always engaging with them whenever the situations arise. However, it has not always been rosy. James has gotten fans ejected from games before.

LeBron James returned after missing out the last game to lead Lakers to win against Thunder
LeBron James returned after missing out on the last game to lead the Lakers to win against the Thunder (Image via Open Source/X)

Therefore, fans had a mixed reaction watching James pushing a fan away. In James’ defense, it was during the game was in process. However, fans were quick to react to the video on social media. Check out some of their reactions below;

https://twitter.com/justvanillaling/status/1747268313812804017?s=20

LeBron James is highly focused during games. This exchange with this particular fan may not impact his general approach to fans. After all, it was during the game.

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