It’s difficult to picture a scenario where LeBron James doesn’t receive cheers from the crowd, but in an unexpected twist, it appears even the King may not always be the center of attention.
During Team USA’s basketball quarterfinal against Brazil on Tuesday (August 6), James found himself in an amusingly awkward situation. He seemed to misunderstand who the crowd’s cheers were directed toward.
Seeing the attendees in the stands rise for a standing ovation and applause, the King instinctively waved back and mimicked putting a crown on his head—his iconic gesture.
However, it seems the applause wasn’t for the basketball icon.
The enthusiastic ovation was actually meant for French swimmer Léon Marchand, who was present at the game. Marchand has already won four gold medals and one silver medal during the Olympics held in his home country.
In addition to his four gold medals, Marchand set a new record in the men’s breaststroke event, even though he lagged by six seconds.
According to the Olympic’s website, his winning time of 1:54.06 broke a 16-year-old record set by Michael Phelps, making him a significant figure.
Marchand, accompanied by two others, stood up to acknowledge the crowd’s appreciation, The New York Post reports.
Larry Brown Sports suggests that James was shown on the jumbotron around the same time the crowd started cheering for Marchand, which might have led to the confusion.
The clip has garnered 3.7 million views, according to The Daily Express.
As expected, social media users are having a blast with the humorous incident.
“Bro really thinks he is the main character all the time,” one Twitter user commented.
“Muscle memory at this point, understandable confusion,” added another user.
Many users are also defending James, saying it was natural for him to assume the cheers were for him after seeing his face on the jumbotron.
“He looked up on the big screen to see what it was and these idiots had him on there for a good minute, what else was he supposed to think,” one social media user wrote.
“I mean if they was showing the man on the big screen what else he supposed to think,” another user chimed in.
James has so far enjoyed a successful stint in this year’s Paris Olympics, contributing significantly to Team USA’s advancement to the basketball semifinals on Thursday (August 8).
In the quarterfinal match against Brazil, James recorded 12 points, nine assists, three rebounds, and three steals.
Team USA emerged victorious with a score of 122 to 87.