Kyle Rittenhouse said in a recent interview, "f--k you, LeBron," after Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James mocked his emotional testimony, suggesting that the 18-year-old was faking his tears when giving his account of what happened during a riot in Kenosha, Wisconsin last year, when he shot and killed two men, and injured a third.
A jury of his peers last month found Rittenhouse not guilty on all counts, including homicide, determining that the teenager acted in self-defense during an August 2020 Black Lives Matter riot, when he fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, and injured Gaige Grosskreutz. Under Wisconsin law, Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time of the shootings, was legally allowed to possess the firearm.
When on the witness stand describing the events that unfolded the night of the shootings, Rittenhouse became very tearful, prompting James to claim he was putting on an act.
What tears????? I didn’t see one. Man knock it off! That boy ate some lemon heads before walking into court. ?????? https://t.co/LKwYssIUmD
— LeBron James (@KingJames) November 11, 2021
Rittenhouse told Blaze News in an interview published Tuesday that he had admired James until the basketball star's tweet.
"I was a Lakers fan, too, before he said that," Rittenhouse said. "I was really pissed off when he said that because I liked LeBron. And then I’m like, you know, what, f--k you, LeBron."
The teenager's legal team told USA Today that he has no plans of suing James for defamation over his tweet mocking his tearful testimony.