LeBron James draws flak as video shows him snapping at young fan over selfie amid Olympic gold celebration

PARIS, FRANCE: LeBron James has come under fire for snapping at a young fan seeking a photo with him during his celebration of the Olympic gold medal victory.

The Los Angeles Lakers legend, having just secured his third Olympic gold with Team USA, was celebrating in Paris when the incident took place.

TikTok video captured LeBron James addressing a young fan

Team USA secured their fifth consecutive Olympic gold with a 98-87 victory over France, with LeBron James playing a key role in the final. He scored 14 points and provided 10 assists, playing more minutes than any other player on the American team, The Mirror reported.

The victory celebrations led LeBron to a Parisian restaurant, where he was seen wearing his gold medal and seemingly holding a bottle of wine.

A TikTok video captured LeBron with his wife Savannah in the French capital, stepping out of a chauffeur-driven Mercedes and being greeted by a young fan.

Dressed in his Team USA gear, LeBron was seen in the video firmly telling the fan "stop" and pointing in the boy's face, who responded by placing his hand on his chest. A member of LeBron's party then steps in, ushering the boy away as LeBron walks away.

He slipped back into his showman persona, halting in the restaurant doorway to execute a quick dance for the photographers, which garnered cheers and applause. After acknowledging someone at the entrance, he proceeded to step inside.

Internet slams LeBron James

The stern interaction between LeBron James and the young fan caught the attention of social media users, who criticized his response to the boy's request for a photo.

A user wrote slamming James, "Absolutely hate when I see an athlete or celebrity being a p***k to a kid. There was one kid in the whole crowd. It takes 5 seconds to take a selfie with him and make his entire life."

Another added, "This is horrible to see. All the kid wanted was a hello, selfie or autograph & instead he’s got this a**hole being a twat to him. What a shame but it’s good to see who he really is. Would have only taken a few seconds of his time to give that child a great memory of a lifetime."

One commentator wrote, "It takes two seconds out of ur day to take a picture with a fan which will make his day, year, and life. LeBron was being an a**hole imo. And his security was super aggressive pushing the kid out the way."

"This is soo awful!! How easy celebrities forget that a big part of their fame and fortune comes from their fans. Seems so selfish from @KingJames

to treat a young man that is only asking for a few seconds of his time. There isn’t even a huge crowd, it’s just the kid," one wrote.

A person remarked, "Totally disrespectful in the tone that he said that to the kid and the fact that he couldn’t take 5 seconds to take a picture with him."

Someone else chimed in, "LeBron James needs to stay away from children because he thinks he is too good to have his picture taken with then. Horrible attitude towards his fans."

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