Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts in the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena.image captionLos Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts in the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts in the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena.
Among the many NBA stars like Stephen Curry and James Harden who went to China this offseason, LeBron James arguably gathered the most attention. He went to China as part of a promotional tour with Nike.
The Lakers' superstar was almost tackled on stage by an overenthusiastic Chinese fan who managed to circumvent security and run towards him on stage. Had the host of the event not intervened, followed by the security rushing the fan off-stage away from James, the fan would have likely invaded LeBron James' personal space.
While James seemed unbothered by the fan, his reaction raises a peculiar question. Should James have taken a picture with the fan instead of letting the security team take him away?
On the one hand, the most famous athletes in the world, such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, have often allowed fans to share a moment with them, even during games. On the other hand, allowing fans to rush past security to share a moment with a celebrity sets a dangerous precedent, as it would motivate more fans to disregard the boundaries set by security.
NBA fans saw LeBron James' reaction to this incident on social media and made their opinions clear on James' response.
"It's just a fan, lol," said a fan who felt that the fan was not a threat to LeBron James' security.
"He’s probably had that happen 1K times by now since he's been in the NBA," said a fan who believed James is used to facing fanatic fans around him in his career.
"Where’s the damn security team?!" said a fan who questioned how the fan managed to reach the stage.
"If he cared, he should’ve given him a hug and a selfie," said a fan who believed James could spare a few seconds to greet the fan who took such a major risk to be near him.
"All these fans that keep climbing the stages to meet their favs without being authorized need to stop," said a fan who understood what a dangerous precedent this could set for other fans if they allowed him to meet LeBron James.
This was not the only noteworthy incident from James's trip to China. He also reportedly became the first NBA player to write an article in a Chinese newspaper, which his representation later refuted. It sparked a major uproar as media figures around the world started questioning James' motives in China.
Earlier in 2019, James criticized Daryl Morey for his comments on Hong Kong. Now, James is accused of supporting a government that is funding an alleged indoctrination.
Whether or not James had any role in the article remains unclear, but it is shocking to me that an article on using basketball as a bridge to world harmony is being twisted to mean something it was never intended to do.
Instead of looking at the positive side of what James said and allegedly wrote about, the media is focused on turning the narrative against him. I guess this is the cost of being at the top; everything you do comes under public scrutiny.