For a second time during the Los Angeles Lakers current road trip, Lebron James became the subject of scorn for limited attendance allowed in arenas during the pandemic. This time the scene was State Farm Arena in Atlanta, one of two arena/stadium venues allowed for early voting for the 2020 Presidential election and the 2021 Georgia Senate runoff elections. The game was paused during the fourth quarter after James got into a back and forth with curtsied hecklers. Ultimately four were ejected, one firing off middle fingers to the self-proclaimed Greatest of All Time. Last week a spectator in Cleveland was removed by police and security for showing t-shirts taunting James. It was James activism that played no small role in Joe Biden carrying the state in controversial fashion, and in the narrow defeats of David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler that tilted the Senate into the control of the Democrats and helped fuel the Jan. 6 uprising at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.. James also suggested buying Loeffler's 49 percent share of the WNBA Atlanta Dream with fellow Los Angeles Dodgers icon Mookie Betts. A year ago at this time, LeBron could not imagine NBA games being played without fans. Now he's probably hoping draconian restrictions on large gatherings triggered by the pandemic continue for a while.
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