LeBron James gets into it with fan as Lakers and Austin Reaves go off on ‘disrespectful’ refs after OKC loss

May 8, 2026 - 10:15
LeBron James gets into it with fan as Lakers and Austin Reaves go off on ‘disrespectful’ refs after OKC loss

LeBron James’ frustration boiled over after the Oklahoma City Thunder took a 2-0 Western Conference semifinals lead.

A dominant 125-107 victory put the defending NBA champions in a commanding position in the series.

The Lakers think James gets a bum deal from refs
Getty

The Lakers were furious at a perceived lack of help from the officials and let them, fans and journalists know in a series of blistering exchanges.

LeBron James finished with 23 points and got into it with a fan at Paycom Center.

“Stay a kid, I’m a grown ass man… I got kids of my own,” he shouted into the crowd. It isn’t clear what he was reacting to.

Austin Reaves shrugged off his nightmare Game 1 to put up 31 points.

He was involved in a foul-mouthed exchange with ref John Goble on court.

“That’s some bulls*** for you to talk to me like that! P****,” he appeared to scream as the official turned away and the guard’s teammates pulled him away.

“I felt like I was respectful to all of them all night,” Reaves insisted after the game. “A million times in the past, I’ve said way worse stuff.

“And when we were doing the whole tip ball and they were switching spots, I wanted to get on the other side because they had a guy on the other side, was just trying to keep an advantage.

“And he turned around and yelled in my face. I just thought it was disrespectful. The whole time that was going on over there, I don’t think he said much to them.

“I know Ben [Taylor] stepped in and said something. But at the end of the day, we’re grown men and I just didn’t feel like he needed to yell in my face like that.

LeBron was seen involved in heated discussions with fans and refs
Getty

“I told him that. I wasn’t disrespectful. I told him if I did that to him first, I would’ve gotten a tech. I feel like the only reason I didn’t get a tech was because he knew he was in the wrong. I felt disrespected.”

Head coach JJ Redick also didn’t hold back in his media duties after his team held a meeting with the refs on court.

“LeBron has the worst whistle of any star player I’ve ever seen,” he said. “The smaller guys because they can be theatric, they typically draw more fouls.

“He gets clobbered, and he got clobbered again tonight a bunch, and that’s not a new thing.

“That’s not specific to this crew or this series. He gets fouled a lot. … A guy gets hit on the head more than any player I’ve seen on drives, and it rarely gets called.

“There was a stretch where four straight possessions, our guys got absolutely clobbered trying to make an entry pass to Jaxson [Hayes], and Jaylin Williams is grabbing his jersey with both arms.

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“They’re hard enough to play. You’ve got to be able to just call it if they foul, and they do foul.”

King James was asked about Redick’s comments in the locker room and clearly wasn’t in the mood to talk.

“We’re down 2-0,” he said bluntly when asked if he thought the officiating was a factor.

“I don’t know,” he added when pressed on Redick’s specific comments.

Luka Doncic injury a fatal blow for Lakers

Redick is in just his second-year as a coach but is giving his players a useful shield against the turnover issues that have handed OKC two easy wins.

Without Luka Doncic, who recent reports claim is unlikely to play in the series due to his hamstring injury, the Purple and Gold simply don’t have the firepower to compete.

The refs won’t change that fact.

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