LeBron's 'Help the Bear' Instagram Post

Nine days after Brooks' April 20, 2023 postgame taunts and six days after Brooks' Game 3 ejection, LeBron James used his Instagram account to post a montage on April 29, 2023. The caption read: "If you ever see me fighting in the forest with a Grizzly bear, HELP THE BEAR," language picked up immediately by USA TODAY and Sports Illustrated as a pointed public response to Brooks' earlier comments and the series narrative [4][7]. Context: The Lakers had just eliminated the Grizzlies from the 2023 playoffs, making the post timely as a celebratory and rhetorical statement. The caption repurposed Brooks' "Grizzly" reference and reframed the narrative into social media, where it spread across platforms and was widely commented on by reporters and fans [4][7]. Immediate reactions: Media outlets published the caption and framed it as a direct rebuke, fueling further coverage of the Brooks–LeBron exchange and extending the story beyond in-game incidents into the social-media arena. The post was treated as symbolic pushback rather than an extended verbal confrontation by LeBron in interviews, which remained concise and focused on the game itself [4][7][6].

LeBron's April 29 Instagram post matters because it converted the on-court and postgame feud into a social-media narrative that was easily shareable and memorable: the "HELP THE BEAR" line became a viral retort that journalists and fans connected directly to Brooks' earlier "Grizzly"-related provocation [4][7]. The post signaled LeBron's choice to respond symbolically on his platform rather than engage in prolonged media arguments, shaping public perception of how he handled the provocation.

Following the Instagram post, national outlets highlighted the exchange as a notable example of modern athlete rivalries moving onto social platforms; the post did not lead to additional on-court disciplinary action but remained in the public record as a key moment in the Brooks–LeBron storyline [4][7]. Brooks later defended his approach in interviews (e.g., Aug. 24, 2023), and the exchange continued to be cited in later matchups when Brooks changed teams and resumed taunting behaviors in 2025 [5][9].