If you can’t get a ring yourself, you might as well spoil the party.
That was LeBron James’ mindset after he helped the 76ers defeat the Knicks 106-100 on Tuesday night in the season opener, which came after the Knicks celebrated last year’s NBA championship — the franchise’s first in 53 years — with a ring and banner ceremony before tip-off.
“Yeah, I do,” James told NBC when asked if he liked getting a win on the Knicks’ celebration night.
“It’s pretty special,” he continued with a grin.
James finished the night with 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in 34 minutes on the court in the Sixers’ win at Madison Square Garden.
It wasn’t the only memorable shot at Knicks fans that he got during the game.
In the second quarter, he was seen exchanging words with a spectator sitting courtside at the Garden.
According to Mike Tirico on the NBC broadcast, a fan behind him yelled at LeBron about his helicopter and said that just because the NBA superstar lives in New York, it didn’t mean they would cheer for him.
A video posted online showed James cursing at the fan, appearing to tell them there “ain’t nothing soft about the Midwest, I don’t know what the f–k you talking about.”
Eventually, Spike Lee stepped in to play peacemaker and cooler heads prevailed.
“Guess who’s playing peacemaker? Spike Lee,” Reggie Miller said on the broadcast, much to his own amusement.
“He’s over here playing peacemaker. Boy, I’ve seen everything.”
The win marked James’ first with the 76ers after he signed a two-year, $8 million contract with Philly in a much-anticipated free agency. James also recently told ESPN that he even envisioned playing in New York.
“I had visions of playing in [Madison Square] Garden and finishing my career in the Garden,” James said. “One of the best places I’ve ever played.
“I think it’s the No. 1 arena in the world, as far as for a basketball player. But after [the Knicks] beat San Antonio, I was like, ‘Hey, I can’t.’ I couldn’t do it.”
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