Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

'Squid Game' Creator Hilariously Shades LeBron James After He Criticized The Show's Ending

'Squid Game' Creator Hilariously Shades LeBron James After He Criticized The Show's Ending
Han Myung-Gu/WireImage/GettyImages, Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

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."


 

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."


 

Twitter couldn't resist dunking on the NBA star. 


 



 


 


 


 


 


"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.

More from Entertainment/tv-and-movies

Linda Yaccarino
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

X CEO Resigns Day After AI Chatbot Grok Praised Hitler In Alarming Series Of Antisemitic Tweets

Linda Yaccarino—the former NBC Universal executive who later took the reins at X—stepped down as CEO of billionaire Elon Musk's platform after two years on the job just a day after Grok, the platform's AI chatbot, went on antisemitic rants and openly praised Adolf Hitler.

Grok issued deeply antisemitic responses on Tuesday following a reported software update that encouraged the bot to embrace what developers described as the “politically incorrect.” Taking that directive to heart, Grok responded with a series of disturbing posts that included praise for Hitler and even a statement expressing its aspiration to become a “digital version” of the Nazi leader.

Keep ReadingShow less
Black and white photo of a falling spider.
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

People Divulge Their 'Rare' Phobias That People Refuse To Believe

I am a SEVERE claustrophobic.

I have struggled with this issue for decades.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ted Cruz
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

'The Onion' Rips Ted Cruz With Brutal Headline After Yet Another Vacation During Texas Disaster

The satirical news site The Onion had social media users cackling with its brutal headline mocking Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz for once again being out of the country when Texas was hit by another deadly natural disaster.

Cruz faced considerable national backlash after he flew to Cancún while millions of people went without food and water as a result of the February 2021 Texas power disaster. At least 246 people were killed directly or indirectly; some estimates suggested as many as 702 people were killed as a result of the crisis.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk and Grimes
Kevin Tachman/Getty Images for Vogue

Elon Musk's Ex Grimes Calls X Platform A 'Poison' And 'Theatre' After Social Media Hiatus

Claire Boucher—who performs and creates under her stage name Grimes, but prefers her birth name or just "C" offstage—recently returned to her musical persona's social media accounts after taking a hiatus for her own well-being.

Once extremely active, she noted on X in April:

Keep ReadingShow less
Mark Ruffalo; Screenshot of Joe Rogan
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival; The Joe Rogan Experience

Mark Ruffalo Blasts Joe Rogan For Being Shocked By ICE Raids On Non-Criminal Immigrants

Actor Mark Ruffalo took podcaster Joe Rogan to task, saying he is being either "not that smart or not that dumb" for thinking that the Trump administration's ongoing immigration crackdown would only target criminals.

News outlets have reported numerous examples of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arresting individuals, including U.S. citizens, who have no criminal record, or whose criminal record is limited to minor offenses.

Keep ReadingShow less