No longer just losing basketball games, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are now losing arguments with fans seated around Crypto.com arena.
James, along with teammates Trevor Ariza and Russell Westbrook, were seen chirping with spectators on Sunday as the Lakers were suffering a 28-point defeat to the lowly New Orleans Pelicans amid a symphony of boos.
And the exchanges did not go well for the Lakers, losers in 9 of their last 12 games.
‘What do you know about basketball besides the ball going in or not going in?’ James appeared to ask a fan, as seen in a viral video shot by another spectator.
Of course, it was the fan who had the last laugh on a night where James played well (32 points), but little else seemed to go right for the Lakers. In the end, James had seen enough and left the bench for the locker room with 2.5 seconds remaining.
LeBron James (pictured) and several Lakers teammates got into it with LA fans on Sunday
Trevor Ariza (center) was also seated on the Lakers’ bench when he got into an argument with another attendee at Cyrpto.com Arena. ‘I don’t give a f*** what you are — you’re a b****,’ Ariza yelled into the crowd as teammates tried to calm him
James had seen enough and left the bench for the locker room with 2.5 seconds remaining
The argument was not James’s first conflict with NBA crowds this season. In November he had a pair of fans ejected from their courtside seats in Indianapolis after taking offense to something that was said during a game against the Indiana Pacers.
The Lakers (27-33) are currently in ninth place, and will likely need to survive the Western Conference postseason play-in tournament in order to qualify for the playoffs in April.
Los Angeles has struggled this season following a blockbuster trade for Westbrook, a former MVP who has struggled with his shooting since joining the Lakers.
Like James, Westbrook also got into with with fans on Sunday and was captured in the aforementioned viral video telling one to ‘go home’ while he was seated on the Lakers’ bench.
Ariza was also seated on the Lakers’ bench when he got into an argument with another attendee at Cyrpto.com Arena.
‘I don’t give a f*** what you are — you’re a b****,’ Ariza yelled into the crowd as teammates tried to calm him.
Los Angeles has struggled this season following a blockbuster trade for Westbrook, a former MVP who has struggled with his shooting since joining the Lakers. Like James, Westbrook also got into with with fans on Sunday and was captured in the aforementioned viral video telling one to ‘go home’ while he was seated on the Lakers’ bench
Sunday’s argument was not James’s first conflict with NBA crowds this season. In November he had a pair of fans ejected from their courtside seats in Indianapolis after taking offense to something that was said during a game against the Indiana Pacers
An unidentified fan is removed from the arena following a disturbance involving LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the game against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on November 24
Westbrook addressed the interactions after the game, saying he wasn’t going to think about the negativity.
‘Nah,’ Westbrook told reporters when asked if he’d think about the comments at home. ‘Take it home? For what? S***. Take it home? I got three beautiful kids at my house. Why would I take it home? If they boo, they can take their ass home. I ain’t worried about that. It doesn’t bother me none.’
James did not discuss his argument with fans, but said the Lakers have a challenging schedule ahead, but only need one win to get back on the right track.
‘We got a tough stretch with Dallas, Clippers again Thursday, then Golden State on Saturday,’ James said. ‘And we still got 10 road games this month, or March, so it don’t get easier for us.
‘It all starts with a win. That’s what it starts with,’ he said. ‘Try to get off of this slide and get a win, and learn from that win with things you did well, things that you didn’t do so well. So it always starts with that and how you can try to get into a game-by-game situation.’
The Lakers have shot the ball particularly poorly of late, going just 7 for 34 from three-point range in Sunday’s loss.
Exacerbating the Lakers’ situation has been the status of center Anthony Davis, who is currently out with a foot sprain and has missed 23 games so far this year.
James grimaces after falling on the court in the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans
