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SPOILER WARNING: possible spoilers for The Squid Game
NBA superstar LeBron James may rule the court, but the Lakers legend proved to be no match for Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk on the subject of entertainment.
Hwang rose to prominence with his dystopian drama when Squid Game became the first Korean drama to rank among Netflix's top trending shows in the U.S.
The violent survival show is about competitors from all walks of life competing in a series of deadly children's games for a chance to win an over $40 million cash prize.
And while it thrilled global audiences, the conclusion for Squid Game left little to be desired for James, who at a news conference was heard telling teammate Anthony Davis, "I didn't like the ending."
The director of Squid Games came out and dissed Lebron James after he said he didn't like how it ended‼️😳
“If he has his own ending that satisfies him, great. I've watched 6 of his NBA Finals and didn't like the ending to those. Maybe he should focus on his own endings." pic.twitter.com/GdUBKJe7Eg
— RapTV (@raptvcom) October 27, 2021
But when Hwang was asked about James' remarks during an interview with The Guardian on Tuesday, the show's creator had this witty response:
"Have you seen Space Jam 2?"
He was, of course, jokingly referring to James' critically panned standalone sequel to the live-action/animated sports comedy film, Space Jam from 1996.
Space Jam 2 held a 26% approval rating based on 213 reviews on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, with many of the complaints aimed at the relentless barrage of product placement on Warner Bros. studio's IPs.
"LeBron James is cool and can say what he wants," Hwang said in the interview, adding, "I respect that. I'm very thankful he watched the whole series."
However, Hwang stuck to his vision for Squid Game's finale, saying he wouldn't change it.
He continued:
"That's my ending. If he has his own ending that would satisfy him, maybe he could make his own sequel."
"I'll check it out and maybe send him a message saying, 'I liked your whole show, except the ending.'"
James, being a good sport, chortled in response to hearing Hwang's remark and tweeted with laughing emojis:
"This can't be real right??!!! I hope not."
This can't be real right??!! I hope not 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/IGbqEvFGud
— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 26, 2021
Twitter couldn't resist dunking on the NBA star.
Bodied you bro can't even lie
— 🎃America Is Musty🎃 (@DragonflyJonez) October 26, 2021
I mean why would you hate on the ending lil bro you made space jam 2 and it was god awful
— DEO (@HelloTwinn) October 27, 2021
You really got owned by Squid Game creators😹😹😹😹😹 couldn't be me I've never been owned💯!
— Official🐐||(2-2) and (6-1)| (@Officialj0nn) October 26, 2021
So you call out a man on his craft & when he claps back, you're surprised?
He could've easily called you out on how trash Space Jam was, but he didn't.
Just take the L.
You're far from critiquing a movie. Trust us.
— Junior (@Junior_TreyOh5) October 26, 2021
Uh, Your movie STUNK. #OwnIt
— Jerry Coleman (@sportswcoleman) October 27, 2021
Y'all need to collab on the sequel pic.twitter.com/expxukzR62
— Masta Red Snappa (@MastaRedSnappa) October 27, 2021
pic.twitter.com/Xc73ZUT9PN
— Wasal (@Wasal13) October 27, 2021
"I wanted to create something that would resonate not just for Korean people but globally. This was my dream," said Hwang of the genesis for Squid Game.
Even though James critiqued Squid Game's ending, Hwang's dream of having his show reach a worldwide audience becoming a reality was a huge win.
Well played.