During Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial, American basketball player LeBron James was one of the many viewers glued to the screen. When everyone was talking about the teen’s emotional court statement, LeBron took to Twitter to label Rittenhouse’s tears fake.
Kyle Rittenhouse, who was cleared of all charges after shooting three people in Wisconsin last year, chastised LeBron James for disbelieving his emotions in court and said that he no longer supports the Lakers.
“I was really p****d off when he said that because I liked LeBron, and then I’m like, you know what, f*** you, LeBron,” Rittenhouse said during his appearance on the You Are Here conservative podcast.
One of the hosts followed up with a smirk: “You have to give the man credit. It took all four of his brain cells to construct that tweet.”
Rittenhouse appeared a lot less confident during his hearing in November, breaking down in tears when giving his testimony and claiming self-defense in the Kenosha incident in which he murdered two people.
However, his sobbing did not seem to sway LeBron, who took to Twitter to say: “What tears????? I didn’t see one. Man knock it off! That boy ate some lemon heads before walking into court,” finishing it off with several laughing emojis. LeBron’s dig at Rittenhouse split the internet into two groups, with some praising him and others slamming him for denigrating the teenager.
As per Sputniknews, the verdict itself polarised opinions: after Rittenhouse was acquitted of all counts in the deaths of Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber during a violent protest in Kenosha last year, the public was split. Some praised the verdict as a triumph of justice, while others slammed the “broken” court system in the United States.