Folarin Balogun has The King’s seal of approval.
The USMNT star striker Balogun found the back of the net in the 45th minute of his team’s World Cup game against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Balogun opened the scoring in the Round of 32 knockout game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. with a left-footed strike after a lucky deflection off a Malik Tillman pass.
After scoring, Balogun ran past the edge of the penalty area and proceeded to hit LeBron James’ “silencer” celebration. Here is the video.
THE @USMNT TAKES THE LEAD 🇺🇸
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 2, 2026
NOW BALOGUN CAN REALLY HIT THE @KingJames SILENCER! pic.twitter.com/4t9LzMjUUG
That led to a response from James himself over X. “LFG!!!!!! THE [silencer emoji] HAS [landed emoji] at the World Cup!” James wrote. “Helluva goal there Young [king emoji].”
Now 41 years old, James popularized the “silencer” celebration over a decade ago when he was still a member of the Miami Heat. James would usually save the celebration for times when he would hit a particularly clutch shot at the end of a game.
As for Balogun, who had an earlier goal in the 31st minute disallowed for offside, he continues to show out at this year’s World Cup. The 24-year-old New York native has now scored three times in the competition and also had one crucial assist of a referee during the group stage.
