LeBron James made waves by dissing Memphis earlier this week. He made more by dissing another NBA city on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters at Lakers practice, LeBron was asked to expound on his recent comments that he doesn’t want to play in Memphis. LeBron then revealed that there are actually two NBA cities that he doesn’t want to play in: Memphis and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. LeBron didn’t really explain what he doesn’t like about Milwaukee and dismissed criticism of his prior comments.
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“I’m 41 years old. There’s two cities I do not like playing in right now. That’s Milwaukee, and that’s Memphis. What is the problem with that? I don’t like going home either — (expletive), and I’m from there,” LeBron said.
Saving face?
NBA fans were mixed on whether LeBron is just calling it like it is by mentioning Milwaukee as another city he dislikes, or just trying to save face:
“He had to throw shade at Milwaukee to save face,” one user said dismissively.
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“I gotta give @KingJames credit for standing his ground, he didn’t give any fake apology that’s subtle racism admitting he is guilty. He is allowed to have preference like every normal person,” wrote another.
“Bro listed his enemies and one of them is his place of birth,” a third joked.
“There’s cities that with weather, environmental factors that can be tiresome or less ideal. Middle America is still very underdeveloped [because] we all are on E & W coast, large cities, where accommodations are immaculate than other states. He ended Cleveland’s drought, he’s King.”
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Jan 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images© Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
(© Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images)
Suffice it to say, LeBron James isn’t going to be earning the key to the city in Memphis or Milwaukee anytime soon. But at least we can cross off two cities from his potential destinations list for the twilight of his NBA career.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Apr 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.