LeBron James Engages Heckling Fan, Threatens To Beat Him Up
According to Yahoo! Sports, NBC Washington’s Sarah Kogod reportedly saw LeBron James engage a heckling fan during the Miami Heat’s win over the Washington Wizards this past weekend.
Wizards fan Bob Moore reportedly began yelling at James from the stands in an attempt to get a reaction. Moore also reportedly mentioned the rumor about Delonte West and James’ mother Gloria in which at that point James lashed out.
The following is a compilation of tweets from Kogod’s Twitter timeline that represents the story:
LeBron was waiting alone in the backcourt when fan Bob Moore made a comment to LeBron about Delonte West and LeBron’s mom…According to Moore, LeBron said “The only reason you talk [expletive] is because you know I can’t come off the court right now and beat your ass…Also according to Moore, LeBron continued “But if I had a free pass, I’d kick your ass right now…Moore replied “I’m right here baby. Let’s go” before security stepped in.
Kogod tweeted the next day that “it’s not acceptable for ANY athlete to engage a heckling fan in this way” which is something I am sure we can all agree with.
James is a professional athlete and a role model. Under no circumstances is it acceptable what he did Friday night. I understand he was frustrated with Moore’s comments but he still must maintain his composure, especially if there are any children nearby. Moore was clearly fishing for a reaction from James and there is no doubt he was in the wrong as well, but it is James’ responsibility to remain civil no matter what happens.
I also understand you cannot expect an athlete to not say anything, especially when one’s mother is a part of the insult, but to say “I’d kick your ass right now” is too much for a professional basketball game. If I were the Wizards I would ban Moore from being able to attend any more games. He should never be allowed to sit that close to a sporting event ever again for his actions. As for James, there must be some sort of repercussion for his actions even if he was just sticking up for his mother.
