LeBron James kicked off his shoes during a blowout win, then responded to critics who said the move was disrespectful

The Utah Jazz announcers called the move disrespectful.
James hit back on Wednesday in an Instagram post, saying he was being criticized for giving his shoes to young fans and supporting his teammates.
It's not the first time James has been scrutinized for how he's acted on the bench during blowouts.
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The Los Angeles Lakers won big over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, and the score disparity allowed LeBron James to kick back at the end of the game.

James checked out of the game with 7:46 remaining, and the Lakers up 105-83. He proceeded to take off his shoes, sign them for a pair of young fans, then cheer on his teammates in his socks.

At one point, James was nearly on the floor, in his socks, celebrating as Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma blocked a shot. The commentators on the Jazz broadcast remarked that the move was disrespectful by James.

Here was James signing his shoes to give to two young fans.

And James cheering on his teammates in his socks.

There hasn't been much backlash in the sports world to James' shoelessness, but on Thursday, James responded on Instagram, saying that the criticism was aimed to bring him down.

"Imagine doing your job at the highest level to where you're not needed anymore, giving your shoes to a lil girl and boy who you inspire and hoped you made proud that night, then cheering on your teammates cause you love seeing them succeed more than yourself only to be criticized while doing it," James' caption read. "People it's the world we live in and you can't let it ever stop you from your purpose in life."

It's not the first time James has enjoyed his time on the bench at the end of a blowout. In 2017, while he was still with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James and members of the Cavs' bench practiced the water bottle flipping challenge as the game was still going on.

Last year, while injured, James showed up to Staples Center carrying a glass of wine, which he then drank on the bench,

James is no stranger to the attention focused on him whether he's in the game or on the bench. As he wrote: "I handle it by simply saying "Thank You" with a [smile] on my face and continue to push forward while doing it!"

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