Prateek Tanmay
World Cup Football has landed in the USA. Properly. King James, the LeBron, declared it so. With plenty of emojis. Annointing Folarin Balogun the next Young King.
Balogun’s dramatic Round of 32 game – bookended by a goal ruled offside and a red card – also had USA’s first goal by him in the 45th minute. It was a direct foray from the centreline of the pitch, orchestrated by Malik Tillman, son of a deceased US serviceman. Balogun’s assured finish, flaking off three Bosnia Herzegovina defenders, was special not only for putting the Americans ahead but also because he had an earlier netted goal from a solo run, ruled offside.
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But right after he eventually scored, appreciation came from high places – from 204 cms (6-ft-9) to be precise. LeBron James was quick to take to X, responding to a post from Fox that urged:
“THE @USMNT TAKES THE LEAD 🇺🇸
NOW BALOGUN CAN REALLY HIT THE @KingJames SILENCER!”
King James would immediately rattle off, a fan-post, complete with his emojis. It said,
“LFG!!!!!! THE 🤫 HAS 🛬 at the World Cup! Helluva goal there Young 🤴🏾! 🫡. GO 🇺🇸”
LFG!!!!!! THE 🤫 HAS 🛬 at the World Cup! Helluva goal there Young 🤴🏾! 🫡. GO 🇺🇸
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 2, 2026
The tweet-speak needed some deciphering. “Let’s freaking go.” Six exclamations. The ‘Silencer’ has ‘landed’ at the World Cup. Young King.
Hitting a Silencer has been a James thing for a decade in the NBA. It involved Balogun walking towards the camera, beating his palms down, stomping three steps. The Silencer indicates that critics and noise-making opponents, stop speaking words.
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The Silencer has an official GIF too, and is one of NBA’s iconic celebrations.
That, the celly has been Balogun’s go-to is a dedication to American glamour sport’s biggest contemporary names. King James hitting the Silencer in his iconic purple, has influenced and inspired generations of American athletes, an Balogun linked up the dots, even as James welcomed the young and Black King.
It also set off speculation on whether James, looking for a team, would land up at Bay Area – San Francisco, which would be Golden State Warriors. Though, the spontaneous Twitter post seemed to just mean how Americans, ordinary and famous, were all tuned into the big game, that Mauriciano Pocchetino labelled a “World Cup final for us.”
Earlier, Balogun had a goal denied when he was found marginally ahead of a Bosnia Herzegovina defender. The USA which has been scoring within first 20 minutes in each of their games, were not to be denied though, as Balogun was beautifully set up by Tillman playing direct, vertical football.
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Tillman, born in Nuremberg, Germany to a German mother Anja who raised Malik and older brother Timothy, and a US Serviceman, Sheldon, who passed away last year — scored a goal of his own. The Bayer Leverkusen midfielder is the creative lynchpin of the USMNT, and lit up the group stages and the first Knockout with his goal in the 82nd.
The wave is real, as they say. And LeBron James is making noise, as Balogun hits The Silencer.
