LeBron James had two Indiana Pacers fans ejected during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 126-116 victory in Indiana. And after the game, the Lakers superstar explained why he had the two fans ejected.
“When obscene gestures and language come into it, [it] can’t be tolerated,” James told reporters, per the New York Post. “There’s a difference from cheering for your team and not wanting the other team to win and things I would never say to a fan and they shouldn’t say to me.” James did not say exactly what the two fans, who appeared to be a couple said to him, but one fan, who alleged to be sitting near the two, provided some insight.
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The fan wrote on Twitter that the female fan who was ejected allegedly said that “I hope Bronny dies in a car wreck,” while the male fan said “Bronnys a Bih bih bih.” The fan also wrote the staff asked them to quiet down, but James heard enough to ask the officials to have them escorted out of the arena.
“This one right f—king here!” James told the referee in overtime pointing at the two fans. The woman who was kicked out made a pouty face as she made her way off of courtside. James got the last laugh as he scored a season-high 39 points to lead the Lakers over the Pacers. He was making his return after being suspended for one game after striking Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart in the face causing him to bleed. James has not spoken to Stewart since the incident on Sunday but told reporters it was an “accident.”
“I went over to apologize to him and you guys saw what happened after that,” James said, per CNN. “Definitely accidental, I’m not that type of player. I hate to see what escalated after that. I thought it warranted an ejection because of what happened after that … but a suspension, I didn’t think was warranted.” When it comes down to it, the Lakers are happy to have James back.
“He really wanted to play in that Knicks game, he looks forward to that every year, Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “So to bounce back tonight, to quarterback the defense and carry the offense the way he did — that’s just a performance for the ages.”
