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Watch: LeBron James heckled in New York

Originally posted on Ball Exclusives | By Titan Frey | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 3:56 PM ET

LeBron James may be arguably the greatest player in NBA history. He is also one of the most popular players the league has ever seen.

Despite all of this, he isn’t loved everywhere. LeBron found this out the hard way in a recent trip to New York City.

LeBron was in New York over the weekend as he was attending Fanatics Fest. It appeared LeBron was having a good time and was even called the GOAT by NFL legend Tom Brady.

As LeBron was presumably heading into Fanatics Fest, he was met with a few New York City hecklers.

“You’ll never be (Michael) Jordan or Kobe (Bryant),” a heckler was heard saying.

EXCLUSIVE: #LeBronJames had to deal with some salty fans outside a New York City event Saturday night … with angry pedestrians hurling insults at the basketball legend. pic.twitter.com/hrDLtaRYRq

— TMZ (@TMZ) June 22, 2025

This shows two sides of the coin. For one, it shows what athletes and celebrities have to deal with when going out in public. It also shows, in particular, the passion New Yorkers have for sports.

Ultimately, if you don’t play for a New York team, they are not going to shower you in love. Overall, most fans, either in New York, or any other city, respect great players, no matter if they play for their city or not.

Just don’t be caught off guard when they boo you.

This article first appeared on Ball Exclusives and was syndicated with permission.

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