Courtside Karen
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Overview
Courtside Karen is a pejorative nickname for Juliana Carlos, who referees ejected from an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Atlanta Hawks for heckling Lakers player LeBron James. Carlos, the wife of Atlanta businessman Chris Carlos, later took responsibility for her role in the altercation with James, but the incident inspired outrage and a series of memes toward and about her.
Background
On February 1st, 2021, during an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Atlanta Hawks, a spectator named Juliana Carlos began heckling Lakers player LeBron James, who she says made remarks toward her husband and called her a "bitch." Referees ejected the couple for the altercations (clip below).
Bron got heckled by a fan in Atlanta. 👀🍿 pic.twitter.com/6dcVpyhy9K
— House of Highlights (@HoHighlights) February 2, 2021
Developments
Carlos' Response
Following the ejection, Juliana Margolos began commenting on the altercation on her Instagram Stories, claiming that James incited the incident. Carlos claims that James said something to her husband to which she responded, "Don't fucking talk to my husband." She says that James then called her a "bitch" and told her to "sit down" (reposts below).
She really wants to fight Lebron. 🤣🤣Why is the most shocking part that she’s 25 ??? pic.twitter.com/BLmmjv7Yzo
— Luul (@zamzampappi) February 2, 2021
Following the video's release, many questioned Carlos' age. In the Story, she claims to be 25 years old, which led to a series of memes commenting on her claim. For example, Twitter user @jimmy_koski tweeted, "Courtside Karen claiming she’s 25??" and a clip from the Future song "Mask Off" in which the rapper says, "Ain't no way. Ain't no fucking way." The tweet received more than 12,000 likes and 2,600 retweets in less than two days (shown below).
Courtside Karen claiming she’s 25?? pic.twitter.com/KtyS06OiOn
— Jimmy (@jimmy_koski) February 2, 2021
Twitter[1] user @zamzampappi shared a screenshot from Carlos' account in which she shared the birthdate on her passport (shown below,).
Others reacted to Carlos' insults towards James, who she called a "pussy." Twitter user @SASBurnerAccount, a Stephen A. Smith parody account, posted a remix of a Smith video in which he watches Carlos' Story. The tweet received more than 937,000 views, 44,000 likes and 6,000 retweets in less than one week.
Bron when he gets home and looks at Courtside Karen’s story with Savannah pic.twitter.com/1sZep9iH4L
— Stephen A. Smith Burner (@SASBurnerAcct) February 2, 2021
On February 2nd, Carlos posted about the incident on Instagram.[2] She wrote, "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." The post received more than 8,000 likes in less than 24 hours (shown below).
LeBron James' Response
In a statement, LeBron James said, "I love the fans, but I don't take that kind of talk from anybody. There is a line that should never be crossed. She came at me with blatant disrespect, so I told them to sit their ass down. I thought I was talking to a father and daughter, until she started calling him husband. I was stunned."
On February 1st, 2021, the Twitter[3] account @DepressedNets tweeted the comment and the caption, "LeBron had no chill on that courtside karen." The post received more than 127,000 likes and 18,000 retweets in less than two days (shown below).
That day, James tweeted,[4] "Courtside Karen was MAD MAD!!" The post received more than 744,000 likes and 108,000 retweets in less than one week (shown below).
Online Reaction
The incident inspired numerous conversations online. On February 2nd, 2021, Redditor [5] horseshoeoverlook posted about James comments in the /r/nba subreddit. The post received more than 2,5000 points (95% upvoted) and 695 comments in less than 24 hours.
Instagram[6] memer Adam the Creator posted a image edit of the video game series NBA2k made to feature Carlos. The post received more than 12,000 likes in less than 24 hours (shown below, left).
Singer Halsey tweeted[12] a picture of Edgar the Bug, a roach-like alien from the science fiction film Men in Black, in response to a picture of Carlos. The post received more than 84,000 likes and 11,000 retweets in less than two days (shown below, right).
Media Coverage
Several media outlets covered the incident, including The Daily Dot, [6] Yahoo,[7] TMZ,[8] Vanity Fair,[9] New York Post,[10] Washington Post[11] and more.
Search Interest
External References
[1] Twitter – @zamzampappi's Tweet
[2] Instagram – @julianaacarlos' Post (page unavailable)
[3] Twitter – @DepressedNets' Tweet
[4] Twitter – @KingJames' Tweet
[5] Instagram – @adam.the.creator's Post
[6] The Daily Dot – ‘Courtside Karen’ vs. LeBron James, explained
[7] Yahoo – 'Courtside Karen' apologizes, won't be banned after Hawks investigate heckling incident with LeBron James
[8] TMZ – 'COURTSIDE KAREN' APOLOGIZES FOR CUSSING OUT LEBRON 'I Take Full Responsibility'
[9] Vanity Fair – The “Courtside Karen” Who Heckled LeBron James Is Being Investigated by the Atlanta Hawks
[10] New York Post – Richard Jefferson sides with ‘Courtside Karen’ Juliana Carlos over LeBron James
[11] Washington Post – Fan dubbed ‘Courtside Karen’ by LeBron James apologizes for verbal altercation
[12] Twitter – @halseyandone's Tweet
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