LeBron and the Lakers get booed by home crowd after latest meltdown [VIDEO]
The Los Angeles Lakers were thoroughly embarrassed at home, and it wasn’t only by a 28-point loss to the Pelicans—it was by boos from their own fans.
Although they’ve kept their head above water all season, the Lakers‘ win ratio is quickly being submerged by their recent spate of losses. Before their Feb. 27 game at home against the New Orleans Pelicans, the Lakers lost 8 out of their last 11 matchups, and L.A. fans finally lost their patience.
With a little over five minutes left in the third quarter, Lakers fans began booing their team, who was facing a 22-point deficit at the time.
The Lakers, losers of 8 out of 11 coming into the night, are booed off the court here by the https://t.co/RbGGF9G7ZG crowd with a timeout with 5:39 remaining in the 3rd Q, down 22 to the Pelicans - a team they are trying to stave off in the playoff race.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 28, 2022
By the time the boos began, the Lakers had seen their 18th turnover of the game.
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It wasn’t just fans giving up on the Lakers — owner Jeanie Buss was seen leaving the arena in the third quarter.
https://twitter.com/CantBeatAudel/status/1498161819906543616
The booing was so obnoxious that one rambunctious Lakers fan had to be escorted out of Crypto.com Arena by security guards.
A fan a few rows behind the Lakers' bench has been escorted out by a handful of security guards. The fan was yelling toward the Lakers' bench, and it was loud enough to get some of the players' attention.
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) February 28, 2022
The third-quarter disappointment didn’t help to motivate the team, who was outscored by 28 points by the final buzzer. Russell Westbrook maintained that he remains unbothered by the public display of disaffection.
Russ says the booing does not bother him and he does not take it home with him after games.
— Jacob Rude (@JacobRude) February 28, 2022
"I got three beautiful kids at my house, my wife, I ain't taking that home."
Lakers fans booed LeBron as Los Angeles lost another one
The Lakers-Pelicans game encapsulates just how much has shifted for these teams since the beginning of the season. The Pelicans were the bottom-ranked team in the Western Conference early on, struggling without centerpiece Zion Williamson, until team chemistry and a trade for CJ McCollum made their offensive more competitive in addition to their strengthened defense.
Chemistry has been the problem for the Lakers, who have struggled to unite LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook all year. While James and Davis have suffered significant injuries, Westbrook has failed to offer the offensive punch the Lakers need in order to stay afloat.
As McMenamin noted, the Lakers were battling against the Pelicans for a playoff spot on Sunday night, and the loss could push the Lakers back into fighting for a play-in spot. As it stands, the Pelicans are 25-36, while the Lakers are 27-33. They are only one ranking higher than the Pelicans, but that grip on ninth place won’t last for long if they continue to bungle their chance the way LeBron did on that eighteenth turnover that made the entire arena boo.
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