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LeBron James had a successful debut with the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night, as he scored 14 points and added nine rebounds in a 106-100 win against the defending NBA champion New York Knicks.
But it wasn’t all smiles from James. A heated exchange he had with a Knicks fan sitting courtside stole the show — in part because of the stray that James’ former home seemed to catch.
“Ain’t nothing soft in the Midwest. I don’t know what the f—k you talking about,” James, who was born and raised in Akron, Ohio, said to the fan.
“I’m not from the West Coast. I’m from Ohio, baby. I’m not a Midwest kid, I’m an Ohio baby. F–k is you talking about?”
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) October 21, 2026Full audio of LeBron GOING OFF on a Knicks fan who called him soft 😭
“Ain’t nothing soft in the Midwest.”
“I’m not from the West Coast, I’m from Ohio, baby. I’m an Ohio baby, f*ck is you talking about?” pic.twitter.com/IGQPTnEX3X
Given that the fan was seemingly calling James, soft, his response of “I’m not from the West Coast” could be interpreted as him equating West Coast roots with being soft.
If this is the case, the irony is that James’ three children were primarily raised in Los Angeles.
LeBron could have gotten his point across without implicating the entire West Coast, which is one reason why many Lakers fans were irked about his response.
Perhaps Bronny James will have some choice words for his dad’s West Coast shade when the two talk next, if only to prove that not everyone from Los Angeles is soft.