The Kid from Coney Island is taking some swipes at The Kid From Akron.
Retired ex-NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury was sitting courtside at the Paris Olympics as Team USA won the gold in men’s basketball over the weekend. After the final buzzer, the NBC broadcast showed Marbury embracing Steph Curry and then trying to do the same with LeBron James. But James was busy saying hello to his longtime friend Carmelo Anthony (who was also sitting courtside) and seemed to completely ignore Marbury.
Here is the video.
The energy is different in real life. No dap for you bud pic.twitter.com/HOxDCXm27L
— yogsterr (@yogster991) August 11, 2024
Perhaps not too coincidentally, Marbury responded with a series of shots at James in the following days.
In a since-deleted Instagram post, Marbury said that James, who was ultimately named FIBA Men’s Olympics Most Valuable Player, did not deserve the award over Curry.
“They gave the MVP to the wrong player,” Marbury wrote, per ClutchPoints. “Maybe they called out the wrong name by accident. I think we need to try to rewind the moment when @stephencurry30 displayed himself as the best shooter who ever touched the ball.
“In international ball, if you can’t shoot, you can’t have the ball at the end of the game,” added Marbury. “I get LeBron is the King to many, but let me say this: when you give him what he doesn’t deserve, you basically say that because of what he’s done, he should receive such a high honor on the biggest stage. No, he didn’t earn it this time.”
Marbury also continued the barbs in a series of posts to X on Monday and Tuesday. He wrote that James “shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same breath” as Michael Jordan. Marbury was critical of James’ loyal fanbase as well and even called “cap” (slang for a lie) on Team USA head coach Steve Kerr’s recent praise for James.
Shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same breath as MJ. https://t.co/Dxk5wGHADS
— I AM PEACE STAR (@StarburyMarbury) August 13, 2024
And if you say something, the LeBron (media) Avengers team hits the internet tagging. Come on we got time for you’ll today https://t.co/aB3DnTgI0U
— I AM PEACE STAR (@StarburyMarbury) August 12, 2024
Oh. I put the wrong hat my bad. https://t.co/jKBOpEEBIR
— I AM PEACE STAR (@StarburyMarbury) August 12, 2024
Much of this may be born out of James’ perceived snub of Marbury. In another post to X, Marbury wrote that he apparently “turned invisible” when he tried to say hello to James.
I turned invisible
— I AM PEACE STAR (@StarburyMarbury) August 13, 2024
But we do know that Marbury, who competed against James in the NBA during the early part of The King’s career, has issued some public criticisms of James before. A few years ago, he called out LeBron for not being a “real Laker.” Perhaps that is why James did not want to show him love at the Olympics and why Marbury subsequently went on the offensive here.
