ATLANTA (WJW) — Four people were reportedly removed from an Atlanta Hawks vs. Los Angeles Lakers basketball game Monday following a heckling incident with LeBron James in the fourth quarter (as seen in the SportsCenter tweet below).
Juliana Carlos, an Atlanta Instagram influencer, took down her mask (which is against NBA policy) to yell at James during the game, after her husband and James got into a back and forth. Carlos, her husband, Chris Carlos, and two others were then kicked out, ESPN reported.
James spoke out after the game, saying he didn’t agree with the group being removed:
“At the end of the day, I’m happy fans are back in the building,” he said. “I miss that interaction. I need that interaction; we as players need that interaction.”
But later that evening he posted about Carlos on Twitter, referring to her as “Courtside Karen.”
On Tuesday, Carlos apologized for the interaction, taking to Instagram:
“About last night… To say things escalated quickly at yesterday’s game is an understatement, and I want to apologize for losing my cool and removing my mask in the heat of the moment,” she said. “My husband is a huge sports fan and we’re passionate people, and let’s be real: sports wouldn’t be sports without a little trash-talking.”
Carlos ended the post saying she took full responsibility for her actions.
