A fan threw what appeared to be a small piece of trash at the son of LeBron James during a high school basketball game on Monday.
Bronny James’ Sierra Canyon High School team from Los Angeles was in Springfield, Mass., to play Paul VI Catholic High of Fairfax, Va. With three minutes left in the third quarter and James standing at the scorer’s table, preparing to inbound the ball, a small wrapper or piece of trash flew from the crowd and hit James in the back.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Krysten Peek, the game was stopped and security called to remove the fan. Multiple videos posted to social media showed an arm from the second row throw the object. Another angle clearly shows the object hit James. Both the official standing with the ball and James immediately looked down at the object and the official called over security.
One video shows a security or police officer come to the scorer’s table and look in the crowd, though no video was posted showing the fan being removed.
According to Peek, 4,000 people were in attendance in the small gym and 40 officers were stationed both in the gym and the surrounding area.
Another reason for the increased security was the presence of LeBron James, who was in the area with the Los Angeles Lakers in Boston to play the Celtics later Monday.
LeBron James replied to a video showing the object being thrown at Bronny, tweeting in part, “Hating has no age limit!”
Though the fan’s face could not be seen, it appeared it could have been a minor.
James spoke about the incident after the Lakers’ 137-107 loss to the Celtics.
“I didn’t see it or hear it, actually,” he said, according to ESPN. “While I was on the opposite side of the floor, I did see the referee stop the game or stop the inbound, and the cop came up there. I didn’t even know what happened until the video evidence showed me when I got here (to Boston).
“It’s just disrespectful, and it was a little kid, too. I don’t know how old that little kid was, so I don’t know if he learned that on his own or if he learned it at home. Whatever the case may be, it’s disrespectful.”
After Sierra Canyon’s 70-62 loss to Paul VI Catholic, Bronny James’ teammate Ziaire Williams told Yahoo Sports, “You’d be surprised by all the stuff Bronny has to go through. It’s not fair, but he doesn’t let it faze him at all. I’m learning how to be more like that from him, and he’s younger than me.”
–Field Level Media
