LeBron James exacted unequivocal revenge on a couple of rude Indiana Pacers fans as the Los Angeles Lakers scored a victory over the squad the night before Thanksgiving.
On Wednesday night (Nov. 24), LeBron had a referee eject two Pacers fans — a man and a woman — from their courtside seats after they reportedly made some obscene comments toward him. About 30 seconds of game time later, he drained a stepback three-pointer to put the Lakers six points ahead of the Pacers in the overtime matchup. He punctuated his shot by pulling out his signature silencer celebration.
Naturally, this entire sequence went viral, with folks on Twitter getting jokes off about the totality of LeBron’s win. However, many—somewhat jokingly—accused him of being a snitch for getting the fans ejected, causing “LeSnitch” to trend on the platform.
At this point, it’s unclear what, exactly, the Pacers fans said to make the Space Jam: A New Legacy star so upset. LeBron himself wouldn’t get specific, though he did hint at the tone of their words.
“When obscene gestures and language come into it, (it) can’t be tolerated,” LeBron said, according to USA Today. “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.”
This isn’t the first time fans have been ejected after interacting with LeBron in an unpleasant manner. Back in February, a group of Atlanta Hawks fans were ejected after heckling LeBron from their courtside seats in the city’s State Farm Arena. One of them went viral after being labeled Courtside Karen.
While LeBron wasn’t cool with the Pacers fans’ brand of trash talk, that clearly didn’t prevent him from collecting a W. After being suspended for one game after elbowing Detroit Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart, he was happy to jump back into the action.
“I was excited about being in the lineup,” LeBron told USA Today. “I knew I could kind of give our guys a boost of energy with me not playing (Tuesday) night.” See LeBron get the fans ejected — as well as his clutch shot — for yourself just below.