LeBron James Responds to Criticism From Jazz Announcers in Long Instagram Post

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James capped off an eventful, for better or worse, night against the Utah Jazz by giving his shoes to a pair of young fans during his team's 121-96 destruction of the Jazz in the waning seconds of the game. In almost the immediate aftermath, the shoeless James walked out onto the court to celebrate a block by Kyle Kuzma, for which he was criticized by the Jazz broadcasting team. James finally got a chance to issue his rebuttal to the steaming mad broadcasters who accused him of lacking respect, and the King did not hold back.

James, who put up 20 points and 12 assists in LA's win, might get some sort of slap on the wrist for going onto the court when he wasn't checked into the game, but anyone trying to connect the dots and accuse him of blatant disrespect is simply pearl-clutching and trying to make something out of nothing.

If LeBron giving away his shoes and showing a little bit of emotion really irritates you that much, it's probably time to do some serious self-reflection. LeBron just made some young fans' lives that night when he gave them his shoes, but apparently doing that in the closing seconds of a blowout was just too much for Utah's TV crew.