Kyle Rittenhouse Doesn't Have Nice Things To Say About LeBron James

When it comes to the events that defined the summer of 2020, perhaps the most divisive of them all was the arrest and ensuing trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, a then-17-year-old who traveled across state lines into Kenosha, Wisconsin, armed with two assault weapons, and ultimately shot three people, killing two of them, during a protest against the police shooting of a Black man. Since the shooting and subsequent trial, Rittenhouse has been both championed as a right-wing, gun lobby folk hero and as yet another example of the dangers of white supremacy by the left.

While prosecutors attempted to prove Rittenhouse's alleged ties to white nationalist group the Proud Boys, he has since stated that the Kenosha shooting, which took place at a BLM-related protest, had "nothing to do with race," per the BBC. Even so, many have argued against that point well before Rittenhouse was acquitted of multiple counts of first-degree homicide and one count of attempted first-degree homicide — including Laker's star and basketball GOAT Lebron James. During the trial, James posted a photo of Rittenhouse on social media taken while Rittenhouse testified, positing that Rittenhouse's purported crying on the stand was all an act. "What tears????? I didn't see one," James tweeted. "Man knock it off! That boy ate some lemon heads before walking into court." Weeks after the tweet went viral, an acquitted Rittenhouse has finally spoken out against both James and his post. 

During an appearance on the podcast "You Are Here" produced by the conservative outlet BlazeMedia (via HuffPost), Kyle Rittenhouse continued on what appears to be a round-making media tour following his acquittal. Though the podcast episode title incorrectly and/or unclearly referred to Rittenhouse as being "that kid from Kenosha," Rittenhouse reportedly crossed state lines from his residence in Antioch, Illinois to Wisconsin, where he picked up two semi-automatic firearms in order to insert himself as a counter-protestor for a protest related to the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man. Naturally, Rittenhouse's account was the focus of the segment, but it wasn't the only one.

During his interview, he also addressed the tweet Lebron James sent shortly after Rittenhouse provided testimony for the events of the day through what many like James took to be manufactured tears. "I was a Lakers fan, too, before he said that," Rittenhouse told the hosts. "I was really pissed off that he said that, cause I like LeBron and then I'm like, 'You know what, f*** you, LeBron.'" 

The profanity-laden statement against James stands in sharp contrast to previous recent media appearances a comparatively genial Rittenhouse has made post-trial, including a lengthy interview on Tucker Carlson's Fox News program "Tucker Carlson Tonight" in late November — during which Carlson described Rittenhouse as a "sweet kid."