LeBron James was giving it right back to New York Knicks fans during Tuesday’s season opener.
James made his debut for the Philadelphia 76ers against the Knicks on Tuesday to kick off the 2026-27 campaign. But James managed to go viral in the second quarter at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y., for a reason other than his play.
The NBC broadcast showed James getting profane with a Knicks fan who had been trash-talking him. In the middle of a stoppage in play, James could be seen telling the fan, “I’m not from the West Coast, the f–k you talking about? I’m not from the West Coast, I’m from Ohio, baby.”
Take a look at the clip.
“I’m not from the west coast baby, I’m from Ohio f*ck is you talking about?” LeBron going at it with a fan https://t.co/fl2jM4O0rC
— Underdog (@Underdog) October 21, 2026
Based on that reaction, it appears that the fan might have hit James with a taunt along the lines of “Go back to L.A.” (where James previously played for the Los Angeles Lakers). But for his part, James wanted to make sure that the fan was being a bit more factually accurate with his jabs.
That might have been a little pent-up emotion from the 41-year-old James as well. After all, Knicks fans as a whole had already hit him with a harsh chant earlier on in the game.
