LeBron James’ legendary status often exposed him to intense public scrutiny. A recent example occurred when Kevin Durant’s former podcast co-host, Eddie Gonzalez, openly called out the 4x champion.
Referencing the 39-year-old’s infamous mid-March interaction with the Los Angeles Lakers co-owner, Jeanie Buss, he shared his critical two cents.
An NBA fan recently resurfaced this five-month-old clip on X, catching Gonzalez’s attention.
The video showed James enjoying his time courtside with Buss and the Lakers Executive Director of Special Projects, Linda Rambis.
It also captured the 20x All-Star wishing them a ‘Happy International Women’s Day’ to brighten their day.
Upon revisiting this moment, Gonzalez seemingly failed to hold himself back. He consequently quoted this post to take a playful jab at The King, mentioning,
Gonzalez’s words undoubtedly revealed one aspect of this story. After all, the Lakers were hosting the Eastern Conference giants, the Milwaukee Bucks, at home during this time. So, James‘ light-hearted courtside interactions made some fans question his commitment to the team during such a crucial game.
That said, the 4x MVP couldn’t have contributed much on the court even if he had wanted to. At the time, he was dealing with a left ankle injury, which caused pain and limited mobility in his ankle and foot. Consequently, the Akron-born chose to sit out this clash. However, he soon surprised many by making a courtside appearance to chat with Buss and Rambis.
Gonzalez likely knew about James’ condition when he made his comment. Still, he unhesitantly teased the Lakers talisman. After all, the recent situation stemmed from NBA fans compiling the funniest moments of The King’s career. Moreover, the fan post he quoted was also part of this trend.
During this period, many fans weighed in on the trend, digging up past social media posts, commercials, and other infamous moments involving James. One such post revisited his 2013 Instagram update, where the Lakers star admitted watching the animated series Tom & Jerry with his sons, Bronny and Bryce.
“Up watching a lil Tom & Jerry before we head to school”.
Another post looked back at one of his post-game interviews for the Miami Heat in early April 2014.
After their narrow 121-122 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves, he publicly wore a tall hat reminiscent of the signature style of the music artist, Pharrell Williams.
This led to widespread mockery from fans while giving rise to an unforgettable NBA moment.
On one hand, such incidents increased his global popularity. On the other, his antics challenged the stigma of stars having to be perfect. This, in turn, broke the then-NBA norms, creating a distinctive identity for the basketball great.
