Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
In a pretty funny moment during the 2024 Paris Olympics, LeBron James found himself at the center of an unexpected and humorous mix-up. During Team USA’s quarterfinal basketball match against Brazil, the crowd erupted into cheers, and LeBron, ever the showman, assumed the applause was for him. However, the reality was quite different.
Midway through the third quarter, LeBron took a hard elbow to the face from Brazilian forward Georginho de Paula while vying for a rebound. After a brief trip to the locker room to get the cut above his eye treated, LeBron returned to the bench late in the fourth quarter. As he took his seat, the crowd’s cheers grew louder, prompting LeBron to acknowledge the applause with his signature “crowning” gesture, believing the ovation was for him.
To everyone’s amusement, the cheers were actually directed at French swimmer Léon Marchand, who had just stood up to greet his supporters. Marchand, a gold medalist in multiple swimming events, was a beloved figure among the French fans, and his presence in the arena had not gone unnoticed.
The mix-up was understandable, given the similarity in the sounds of “LeBron” and “Léon.” The arena staff, perhaps equally confused, had shown LeBron on the jumbotron, adding to the misunderstanding. Despite the brief embarrassment, LeBron took the moment in stride, and the incident quickly became a lighthearted highlight of the games.
Crowd started cheering and LeBron thought it was for him, but it was for gold medal french swimmer Léon Marchand in the crowd pic.twitter.com/Z0e5lHMrQ0
— ᗩᑎT ᗯᖇIGᕼT (@itsAntWright) August 6, 2024
