With LeBron James making headlines for sternly brushing off a young fan in Paris following his gold medal win at the Olympic Games, the woman who became known as “Courtside Karen” after her own viral interaction with the basketball legend is speaking out.
A video shared on TikTok showed the Team USA star arriving at a restaurant in France as a young fan approached with his phone in the hope of getting a photo. James can be seen pointing his finger in the boy’s face and saying, “stop,” before a member of his entourage pushed the boy away.
Juliana Zambetti gained global media attention after she was kicked out of a Los Angeles Lakers game versus the Atlanta Hawks in Atlanta on Feb. 1, 2021. Her husband had heckled James from their courtside seats, and James fired back, prompting Zambetti to stand up and remove her face mask to clap back in her husband’s defense.
The pair were then kicked out of State Farm Arena, along with two other spectators. James told reporters after the game, which the Lakers won 107–99, that he didn’t believe their removal “was warranted.”
“There was a back-and-forth between two grown men. We said our piece, he said his piece, I said my piece. And then when someone else jumped into it and said their piece, but I didn’t think they should’ve been kicked out,” James said.
Nevertheless, the basketball star took to Twitter, now X, to say to his more than 50 million followers, “Courtside Karen was MAD MAD!!” alongside several laughing emojis.
The nickname stuck, and Zambetti suddenly found herself facing a deluge of online harassment. Even as recently as last month, a TikTok account used a clip of Zambetti speaking about the incident alongside a supercut of James sinking baskets, garnering more than 12 million views, prompting a fresh wave of harassment.
Her experience has since propelled her to become a passionate advocate against cyberbullying.
“In the middle of a global pandemic, I found myself faced with a decision to make, stand up for something I believed in, or potentially risk it all. I chose to stand up for what I believed in. Fortunately for me, I am happy I made that decision,” Zambetti said.
“I learned how to turn a difficult life lesson into a positive one before it destroyed me forever,” Zambetti said. “Cyberbullying is a devastating epidemic that ruins lives, and in moments when it feels like your world is spiraling out of control, it’s important to remember you are not alone. You may think that you have Courtside Karen all figured out, but one night on the court doesn’t define me.”
TMX contributed to this story.
