“Courtside Karen” was no match for LeBron.
Juliana Carlos, the alleged social-media influencer ejected from Monday’s Atlanta Hawks game for dropping F-bombs on Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, says she’s sorry for her actions.
“To say things escalated quickly at (Monday’s) game is an understatement, and I want to apologize for losing my cool and removing my mask in the heat of the moment,” wrote Carlos, the wife of Atlanta businessman Chris Carlos, late Tuesday on her Instagram page. “What should have been a quick back-and-forth between two adults got out of hand and my natural instinct to stand up for the man I love kicked in. Did I get defensive when that happened? Yes. Did I use offensive language when I could have taken the higher road? Yes. And for these things, I take full responsibility.”
During the second half of the tightly contested game, Juliana Carlos pulled down her face mask to heckle James from the stands. Her antics not only caught the attention of the four-time MVP but arena security officials, who booted her, her husband and two others from State Farm Arena.
After her exit, she offered more harsh words for James.
“I don’t have an issue with LeBron. I don’t give a f--- about LeBron. Anyway, I’m minding my own business, drinking my [beverage], having fun,” Carlos said in the social-media post. “All of the sudden, LeBron says something to my husband, and I see this and I stand up. And I go, ‘Don’t f–---- talk to my husband.’ And he looks at me and he goes, ‘Sit the f–-- down, b----.’ And I go, ‘Don’t f–----- call me a b----. You sit the f–-- down. Get the f–-- out of here. Don’t f–---- talk to my husband like that.’”
Hours after the game’s conclusion, a 107-99 Lakers victory, James commented on the encounter.
“Courtside Karen was MAD MAD!!” tweeted the NBA superstar with multiple laughing-face emojis.
Officials for the Hawks, one of only 10 NBA franchises allowing fans to attend games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, reportedly won’t ban Carlos or her husband from future games, noted ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin in a tweet.
