LeBron James called friend and comedian Kevin Hart while he was on a Twitch stream with Kai Cenat and Druski, but the Los Angeles Lakers star did not realize he was in front of a live audience until it was too late, resulting in LeBron using a word he instantly regretted.

LeBron James goes live with Kai Cenat and Kevin Hart

“Oh, so the world heard what I just said?” James said with a shock after Hart informed him they were on a live stream.

Realizing that LeBron was embarrassed about the word he used, Hart and fellow comedian Druski began teasing him about it until it became very obvious to both the King James and the audience exactly what he said.

LeBron has an image to protect

The NBA all-time leading scorer has a clean off-court image that he has worked very hard to protect. Although he will occasionally use curse words in public or on the court or on his podcast with JJ Redick, there is one particular controversial word he stays away from.

LeBron does not like to use the word because it is often used as a racial slur, even though many Black people have reclaimed it, as you can see by Cenat, Hart and Druski using it in the video. James, with his large and multicultural following, chooses to avoid it publicly.

“He definitely said it, y’all,” Druski teased. “Hey Bron, I didn’t know you say it like that.”

Clearly, James’ public and private personas hold different standards about what he can and cannot say. It’s probably a good thing that the most popular basketball player in the world keeps it clean, but the revelation makes you wonder what other ways he might be different at home.