LeBron James is one of the most polarizing figures in the NBA. While he is one of the greatest to ever play the game, James is not by any means a universally loved player. He is constantly the target of fans trying to mock and heckle him. After the events of the Lakers vs Hawks game, take a look at five times when LeBron James faced hostile reactions from fans in the NBA.

February 2021 – Fan gets ejected for confronting LeBron James

During the Hawks vs Lakers game, one fan decided to confront and verbally abuse LeBron James. For her actions, she was ejected from the arena. After the game, the fan in question took to social media to defend herself. However, LeBron didn’t seem to care. He even poked fun at the incident on Twitter after the game.

December 2017 – LeBron told to ‘stop crying’

During his stint with the Cavaliers, James received verbal abuse from several opposition fans, often on a nightly basis. During a game against the Chicago Bulls, one fan decided to heckle LeBron James from the courtside. He and James got into a verbal spat, and James clapped back at him as well.

February 2016 – Billionaire fan tells ‘The King’ to ‘suck it up’

In another Cavaliers game, James was arguing with a referee about a call he disagreed with. Many fans feel as though LeBron complains too much about foul calls not going his way. One of these fans was billionaire Judy Love, who sat courtside at the Cavaliers-OKC game, and told Bron to ‘suck it up!’ James got the last laugh as the Cavs beat OKC handily.

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December 2015 – LeBron James catches fan mocking him

On a special Christmas day edition of the NBA, the Warriors played the Cavaliers in what would be a rematch of the 2015 Finals. During the game, one courtside fan gestured to her friends that LeBron James was a ‘crybaby’. However, ‘the King’ was standing in front of her, and caught her doing just that. The fan reverted back to silence and sat there, having been caught red-handed.

December 2010 – ‘The King’ returns to Cleveland as a Heat player

This was perhaps the game with the most hostile environment in the history of the NBA. In December 2010, the Miami Heat traveled to the Quicken Loans Arena to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron James returned to the house he helped build for the first time since leaving.

Fans were incredibly agitated and disrespectful toward their former hero. But James appeared unfazed by their hostility. He went on to have an excellent game with the Heat, getting the win as they made their march to the NBA Finals in 2011. James eventually returned to Cleveland four years later and won them an NBA championship – and all was forgiven after that.

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Perhaps LeBron James will be shown more respect when he retires from the game. While the world recognizes his talent, there are many who still believe that he is still not that great. After the Lakers won the 2020 NBA championship in the Orlando bubble, James said fittingly, “I want my damn respect, too.”