When a young girl discovered LeBron James sitting courtside next to her at the LA Lakers-Golden State Warriors game, she experienced the shock of her life.
Most Warriors vs. Lakers supporters in San Francisco tonight would undoubtedly enjoy watching LeBron James participate in the game. The Los Angeles attacker has been struggling recently due to a foot injury.
But when James arrived at his seat to see his teammates attempt the upset, one fan experienced the excitement of a lifetime. When a street-dressed LeBron sat down in the seat next to her, a young fan sporting a Warriors scarf was unable to contain her shock.
The injured Lakers star nonetheless traveled to San Francisco to watch his team win, and he pulled up next to Gaia, 12, and her brother Liam. Gaia’s apparent and amusing disbelief at the situation has subsequently gone viral on social media.
ESPN's Lisa Salters interviews the 12-year old girl that got starstruck when LeBron James sat next to her.#LakeShowpic.twitter.com/i7bFuVtQjT https://t.co/9b6WGKEVen
— 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧' 𝐍𝐁𝐀 (@_Talkin_NBA) February 12, 2023
Gaia was interviewed by ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters as she made her way to the courtside. She talked about what it was like to sit next to The King.
“I asked for these tickets over three months ago because I was so excited,” she said.
“I was really hoping LeBron would break the record at this game and when he broke it, I was like, ‘Congratulations.’ When he ended up sitting down here, I’m not as tall as him obviously so I could only see his shoes.”
“And then I look up, I see LeBron James and what’s going through my mind is, ‘Oh my God, the greatest player of all time in basketball is sitting next to me.'”
Regardless of team preference, that is how the vast majority of basketball fans would react if The King was to sit next to them during a game. She said that after being told not to disturb players, the two had remained silent.
LeBron James must be hopeful that he won’t be in spectator mode too frequently in the future. The Lakers are currently in 13th place in the Western Conference with a record of 25-31 and are 2.5 games short of a play-in round slot.
