"Main character syndrome": LeBron James' oops moment with Paris crowd leads to awkward fan reactions

Team USA’s LeBron James had a hilarious moment during their quarterfinal match against Brazil, thanks to a perfectly timed camera cut and a booming applause from the French crowd, which drew jokes from fans.

LeBron James momentarily left the game after taking a shot to the face, necessitating a trip to the locker room. As he returned, the broadcast camera panned to him and showed him pulling off his classic crowning gesture.

The Paris crowd erupted with cheers, but not for him—it was actually for French swimmer Léon Marchand. The confusion, understandable given that LeBron and Léon rhyme, was hilarious enough to elicit funny reactions from fans.

“Constant main character syndrome,” wrote X (formerly Twitter) user @Likethewind888.

This sentiment was echoed by other fans.

“He really thinks he's always the main character, doesn't he,” @timmykov said.

User @prospectgrade added:

“Yea sorry LeBron, for once you’re not the center of attention 😭”

One fan found humor in the situation but understood LeBron James’ confusion.

“The crowd is cheering while he’s being shown on the big board and seemed to get louder when he waved. I woulda thought the same thing if I was him tbh lol,” said @buckinut2.

Here are other reactions to the funny moment.

Fans react to LeBron James' funny moment in the Olympics

Marchand won gold medals in the men’s 200m breaststroke, men’s 200m butterfly, men’s 200m individual medley and men’s 400m individual medley, as well as bronze in the men's 4x100m medley relay swimming events.

LeBron James, Team USA dominate Brazil for semis spot

Team USA cruised past Brazil with a decisive 122-87 victory, setting up a semifinal showdown against Nikola Jokic and Serbia.

LeBron James contributed 12 points and nine assists in the win, while Devin Booker led the team with 18 points.

Kevin Durant made history by breaking the Olympic record for most points scored in basketball, surpassing Lisa Leslie's previous mark of 488 points with his 11-point performance, bringing his total to 494 points.

Joel Embiid had a productive 12-minute outing, scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds.

Anthony Edwards led Team USA's bench with 17 markers and five rebounds, while Anthony Davis added 13 points and eight boards. Bam Adebayo had nine points and eight rebounds.

All Team USA players scored in the match.

The USA vs. Serbia semifinal is scheduled for Thursday. Meanwhile, Victor Wembanyama and France will face off against the 2023 FIBA World Cup champion, Germany, in the other semifinal matchup.