On August 16, a police officer on a motorcycle escorted NBA superstar LeBron James to a Jay Z and Justin Timberlake performance at Sun Life Stadium in Miami. They drove on the wrong side of the street and avoided traffic.
King James, as he's often called, posted a video on Instagram with the caption "They treat us so well! Needed it cause traffic was nuts!!"
The recording garnered mixed reactions from his 3.7 million followers. Many of them slammed James' actions and said taxpayers' money was misused. Some fans came to The L-Train's defense, saying that James plays like a king, so he deserves to be treated like one.
The Miami-Dade Police Department sided with his critics. It said the law enforcement officer breached police protocol by ushering James for eight blocks. Police escorts are usually planned beforehand, but the King's escort was impromptu.
An investigation was launched by the department. According to a police statement, the unnamed officer was later disciplined with "informal counseling."
James was most likely driving one of his many prized vehicles that night. It's often said that he has one of the most enviable collections in all of professional basketball.
The L-Train is known to have:
- A white Maybach 57S with "KNG OF OH" license plates
- A Dodge Challenger SRT that has 22-inch rims and a silver paintjob with blue stripes (James' favorite football team is the Dallas Cowboys)
- A white Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG
- A Porsche 911 Turbo S
- A white "Stormtrooper" Chevrolet Camaro SS that has a black Chevy emblem and black racing stripes
- A yellow Hummer H2 from his mother for his 18th birthday that he later painted black and customized with 28-inch wheels and a new grille
- A white Range Rover
- A bright orange Jeep Wrangler (the headrests were stitched with his lion logo)
- A white Bentley Continental GT
- A 1975 Chevy Impala
- A $300,000 white Rolls-Royce Phantom from his friend and former teammate Shaquille O'Neal
- A Ferrari F430 Spider with extra leg room
In addition to collecting whips, the King enjoys giving them away. As the official sponsor of the NBA Most Valuable Player award, Kia Motors presents the winner with a free automobile.
James has won the title four times, and he has traditionally donated his prizes to his hometown of Akron, Ohio. In 2012 and 2013, his contributions benefitted the Akron After School program.
* LeBron James Maybach image courtesy of Auto Loan Daily
* LeBron James Dodge Challenger image courtesy of Dime Magazine
* LeBron James Hummer image courtesy of AutoBlog.com
