Motorsport is like a religion for racing fans. And who can blame them? That being said, the holy grail of racing events is just around the corner! This weekend shall mark the 91st running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Formula 1 fans, Endurance racing fans, and pretty much every motoring enthusiast on this planet alike, will be waiting with bated breath for this spectacle. Naturally, nothing can dampen the spirits of the fans, right? Well, LeBron James sure can!
NBA’s all-time leading scorer, James has been handed an enormous responsibility for the weekend. According to the official Twitter account of the FIA World Endurance Championship, “@KingJames to wave the tricolour at Le Mans. The @NBA all-time leading scorer will give the start at this year’s centenary event of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.” However, this news didn’t really go down that well with the crowd.
.@KingJames to wave the tricolour at Le Mans 🇫🇷
The @NBA all-time leading scorer will give the start at this year’s centenary event of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 🔥#WEC #LeMans24 #LeMansCentenary
📸 Photo credit: Presse Sports pic.twitter.com/aQq18V35ax— FIA World Endurance Championship (@FIAWEC) June 5, 2023
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Similar to the waving of the chequered flag at the end of a Formula 1 race, the waving of the tricolor is almost ritualistic for the fans. Hence, opting to bestow this honor on James rather than someone deserving from the motoring sphere or even a lucky fan caught the ire of social media.
Fans react as LeBron James was given important responsibility during the 24hrs of Le Mans
While most of the fans will be eager to see another epic crossover between the worlds of motor racing and basketball, the folks over at Twitter weren’t exactly celebrating. As soon as this piece of news went viral, fans rushed to the social networking site, Twitter to share their reactions.
One fan even commented, “Horrible decision.”
Let’s take a look at just a few of the fan reactions to this viral Le Mans development.
Nothing against Lebron, but seems like a random choice, I’d expect someone connected to motorsport or France https://t.co/muslGn44zb
— Slovenian Beni (@SlovenianBeni) June 5, 2023
Horrible decision.
— Rodrigo Astroturd, Texas Ranger (@RodAstro_Ranger) June 5, 2023
brother probably thought this was another f1 race https://t.co/eDzC6oEcAb
— joe (@joebuckkk) June 5, 2023
Racing fans really love their sport. Naturally, they are protective towards it, too. More often than not, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to even attend a race of this stature, let alone wave the iconic tricolor. Seeing no real Motorsport affinity James’ way, the fans decided to trash this decision online.
“I’ve always been a fan of motorsports, especially the 24 hours of Le Mans.” https://t.co/PH922z3jnE pic.twitter.com/UfkQb1aRtb
— Seán¹ 🇮🇪 (@LFCstappen) June 5, 2023
im sorry what https://t.co/7zf4NeT44j
— moeen ali's ashes 5 fer (@wossa_2) June 5, 2023
Why not a legend of Le Mans instead?
— Roy Batty (@RoyBattySF) June 5, 2023
iconic? Nope, not good Le Mans!
— Jessie Collins (@JessieLC24) June 5, 2023
Not interested, we don’t need this f1 style gimmickry at Le Mans
— stewartjmurray (@stewartjmurray1) June 5, 2023
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Watch this Story | Despite Recent $1 Million Loss, Neymar Jr Spotted Gambling at the 2023 Monaco GP
And what exactly does he have to do with motor sport ????
— Steve Good (@SteveGood5) June 5, 2023
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Are you in favor of this decision by the organizers over at Le Mans? Or would you rather see someone from the racing world be bestowed with such opportunities?