A fan ran up to Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James during the team’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.
James was sitting on the Lakers bench when he was approached by the fan, who appeared to want to speak to the four-time champion.
The fan put his hands on James before the Lakers star brushed him off. The fan was eventually escorted away from the Lakers bench.
This fan is bold for running up on LeBron like that 😳 pic.twitter.com/EuzaYZvLFh
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 16, 2024
James is one of the greatest players in NBA history, so it’s no surprise that a fan would want a chance to get to speak to him.
However, during a game clearly isn’t the best time to go and run up to the star player. The incident didn’t seem to escalate to anything extreme, a good outcome for all involved parties.
Los Angeles picked up a much-needed win over the Thunder on Monday night, snapping a two-game losing streak.
James had yet another big game for the Lakers, as he finished with 25 points on 12-of-20 shooting from the field (1-of-2 from 3-point range), seven rebounds and six assists against Oklahoma City. Only Anthony Davis (27 points) scored more for the Lakers in the win.
A 19-time All-Star, James is playing at an extremely high level this season even though he recently turned 39 years old.
In 37 games, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer is averaging 24.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game while shooting 52.4 percent from the field and 39.0 percent from 3-point range.
James has not shot this well from beyond the arc in quite some time. His last season with a 3-point percentage higher than 39.0 percent came in the 2012-13 campaign when he was with the Miami Heat.
Monday’s win was a big one for the Lakers, as James and the team are looking to turn things around with the trade deadline approaching.
Los Angeles is now 20-21 on the season and currently holds the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference. The Lakers will need to play better than they have through the first 41 games of the season if they want a chance to get a favorable seed in the West for the playoffs.
James and the Lakers will be back in action on Wednesday night against the Dallas Mavericks with a chance to get back to .500 on the season.
