The Los Angeles Lakers cruised to such a comfortable victory on Wednesday night that LeBron James was able to remove his shoes and enjoy the end of the game, and the TV broadcast team for the Utah Jazz thought the gesture was classless. Not surprisingly, LeBron strongly disagrees.
LeBron was subbed out with about eight minutes remaining after the Lakers built a sizable lead, and he immediately gave his shoes away to some fans. That didn’t stop him from coming onto the court without his sneakers on to celebrate a couple of big blocks by Kyle Kuzma late in the game. Jazz TV announcers Craig Bolerjack and Matt Harpring said it was a sign of “disrespect” from LeBron.
On Thursday, LeBron responded in a lengthy Instagram post. He defended himself for giving his shoes to young fans he hopes to inspire and enthusiastically rooting for his teammates “cause you love seeing them succeed more than yourself.”
“Imagine doing your job at the highest level to where you’re not needed anymore, giving your shoes to a lil girl and boy who you inspire and hoped you made proud that night, then cheering on your teammates cause you love seeing them succeed more than yourself only to be criticized while doing it. People it’s the world we live in and you can’t let it ever stop you from your purpose in life,” LeBron wrote.
The argument is that LeBron was showing up the Jazz by being so certain the Lakers had sealed a victory that he decided to remove part of his uniform. Whether you agree with that or not, James is accustomed to having his enthusiasm criticized. If you remember, people gave LeBron a hard time when he ran onto the court during one of his son’s games in celebration of a big dunk and lost a shoe.
LeBron probably didn’t mean to make the Jazz look bad in any way, even if some interpreted it as a cocky move.
