LeBron James once dreamed of playing at Madison Square Garden. But with a stint representing the New York Knicks never becoming a reality, the 22-time All-Star didn’t receive the warmest welcome from the MSG crowd. In fact, the chilly reception came on multiple occasions.
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With 54.5 seconds left in the first half, Jalen Brunson stepped to the free-throw line after drawing a foul. As the crowd erupted into MVP chants for the Knicks star, another fan appeared to have a heated exchange with LeBron.
Although the conversation wasn’t picked up by the microphones, LeBron’s reaction was hard to miss. Social media users quickly tried to read his lips, with many concluding that the 76ers star allegedly fired back, “You don’t know what the f— you talkin about…I’m not from west coast…I’m from Ohio baby. Ay…F— you talkin about.”
The four-time NBA champion is living in New York, but that doesn’t mean he would be getting cheered at the Garden. He was having that heated interaction with someone from the second row, and Spike Lee, the Knicks’ most famous fan, played peacemaker. That reaction from Bron can also stem from the banter that the Knicks fan threw at him.
LeBron James got “WE DON’T WANT YOU” chants from the Knicks fans when he was at the charity stripe. And they cheered loudly when he missed that free throw. Let’s not forget that before joining the 76ers, New York was the top destination.
“I had visions of playing in [Madison Square] Garden and finishing my career in the Garden,” James said during the 76ers’ annual media day. “One of the best places I’ve ever played.” Bron even called MSG as “the No. 1 arena in the world.” But he knew that once they won the championship, joining them was not the option.
It led to LeBron James signing a two-year, $8 million deal with the 76ers over the summer. But playing for the Knicks was not a recent wish. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that it was a dream for the Ohio native to get drafted by the Knicks.
“There was this dream, and in fact, it was kind of LeBron‘s dream too. Literally the night before he agreed to his Nike contract, in his Nike contract he got a 20 or 30% bonus if he got drafted to the Knicks. They agreed to that the night before the Lottery. That’s why it was so important to get it done before the lottery. And when the envelope opened and showed the Knicks at number nine, there was an audible in the room because people wanted LeBron to go to the Knicks.”
But for the Knicks loyalists, all of this doesn’t matter. Currently they view LeBron James as one of their rivals, and the Garden made sure to make him feel the heat.