On Sunday it was Isaiah Stewart, the six-foot-nine, 250-pound, Detroit Pistons star who was fired up against LeBron James. Fast forward two games, however, and it was a very different battle for the King, this time involving fans in the crowd.LeBron and his LA Lakers were continuing their road trip which had been nothing short of a disaster so far.The Lakers had lost three out of their four games on the road, against the Bucks, the Knicks and the Celtics, in a particularly dismal showing.The Lakers, massively struggling for any semblance of form, now travelled to Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis to take on the Indiana Pacers.The Pacers, like the Lakers, have also been well below their best this season and it felt like both teams had something to prove in this fixture.Without Anthony Davis, fever, and following his one-game suspension against the Knicks, LeBron came out firing on all cylinders.Bron dropped 39 points, six assists, five rebounds, two steals and one block in a highly skilled performance, including two clutch three-pointers in overtime. He carried his side to this overtime win, but the game will be remembered for another incident he was involved in.
With two minutes and change left in overtime, LeBron went over to the officials and pointed out two fans sitting courtside. These fans were then promptly escorted out of the stadium, much to their annoyance.
Although, they were visibly happy to play the role of villain and continued to get the crowd going as they were on their way out.
Unfortunately for them, it seems like whatever they said to the four-time MVP simply fired him up as he took the Lakers home with a win.
After the game, James spoke about their removal and said: “There’s a difference between cheering on your home faithful… and then there’s moments where it goes outside the lines.”
It has been rumoured that the couple made comments about James’ personal life, which might be why he said: “When obscene gestures and language come into it — [it] can’t be tolerated.”
LeBron James will be hoping that the drama he’s been involved in over the past week will add some life to this Lakers side and rally them together towards another title this season.