LeBron James got into a heated exchange with a courtside Knicks fan at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night, and he made sure the man knew exactly where he is from.
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The moment came late in the first half of LeBron’s regular season debut with the Philadelphia 76ers. As Jalen Brunson got ready to shoot free throws, LeBron turned toward a fan sitting near the baseline. The fan’s exact words have not been confirmed, but going by LeBron’s response, he called him soft and tried to tie him to the West Coast.
LeBron was not having it.
“Ain’t nothing soft from the Midwest, I don’t know what the [expletive] you talking about,” he said. “I’m not from the West Coast. I’m from Ohio, baby. I’m not a Midwest kid, I’ma Ohio baby. [Expletive] is you talking about?”
Spike Lee, the Knicks’ most famous courtside regular, eventually stepped in to cool things down.
The fan picked an interesting angle. LeBron spent the last eight seasons with the Lakers, but before Los Angeles, there was Akron. He grew up there, starred at St. Vincent St. Mary, and started his NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Calling LeBron James a West Coast guy was always going to get a reaction.
The Garden came ready for him all night. It was the Knicks’ banner night, the celebration of last season’s championship, and the crowd did not let LeBron forget his summer comments that he would have joined the Knicks if they had not won the title. When he stepped to the free throw line, the arena chanted “We don’t want you!” Tracy Morgan also took a shot at Bronny during the banner ceremony before tipoff.
LeBron got the last word anyway. The Sixers beat the reigning champions 106 to 100, and LeBron finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in his first game in Philadelphia.
