LeBron James is the biggest star in the NBA.
James is also the league’s most controversial player.
And that reality was confirmed when LeBron James saw two words that led to one ugly confrontation.
Fans in Cleveland still harbor hard feelings over James sitting for an ESPN special entitled “The Decision” where he announced he would “take his talents to South Beach” and leave his hometown Cavs for the Miami Heat.
Fans burned James jerseys and the city took down a massive James billboard.
James eventually returned to Cleveland in 2014 and led the Cavs to the city’s only title in any major sport since 1964 in 2016.
But James left Cleveland once again in 2018 to head west to play for the Los Angeles Lakers in a move many thought had as much to do with James’ post-playing days plans to build an entertainment industry empire as it did with competing for championships.
This past week, the Lakers were in town to play the Cavs and one fan was thrown out of the game for waiving around t-shirts calling James a narcissist and a racist.
The fan was thrown out of the game after a confrontation with police, which almost led to his arrest.
Cleveland.com reports:
Cavs General Manager Kobe Altman and several team employees and players reported the fan to Rocket Mortgage Field House security, according to the police report released on Thursday. The report also said several Cavs players complained that the fan was screaming obscenities.
The man held up t-shirts that read: “LeBron is a racist,” “LeBron is a narcissist,” “Gloria Goes West. Starring LBJ as king narcissist”— an apparent reference to his mother Gloria James— and another one that contained a sexual innuendo.
The shirts attacking James may have as much to do with his increasingly strident and radical political views.
James repeatedly attacked America as a racist nation and claimed police officers involved in the Jacob Blake shooting woke up and decided to kill black people.
The recent wave of political activism by pro athletes took place in an environment where there were no fans in the stands.
It appears that as society goes back to normal and spectators are once again allowed in arenas and stadiums, there will be pushback on players’ far-left political views.
Sports with Balls will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.