Kansas State's Coleman Hawkins Addresses Negative Team USA Post
![Mar 28, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Coleman Hawkins (33) reacts against the Iowa State Cyclones in the semifinals of the East Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports Mar 28, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Coleman Hawkins (33) reacts against the Iowa State Cyclones in the semifinals of the East Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_5653,h_3179,x_140,y_167/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/kstate/01j4vq00z43b2wt0gy69.jpg)
Kansas State Wildcats star Coleman Hawkins loves having fun on social media, responding to memes while creating some of his own.
Team USA trailed Serbia by a significant margin in the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Thursday, prompting a post from Hawkins. He posted to X, writing, "Lebronze James."
The post was later deleted following the USA's comeback victory, but not before 26,000 fans took note of it. One user then asked the K-State forward for a response, to which he wrote, "Chill I was joking [laughing emoji]."
Chill I was joking 🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/SlYza7gF4Q
— Coleman Hawkins (@colehawk23) August 8, 2024
It's clearly just another case of Hawkins joking around, but the public didn't take the remark so lightly. Fans in the comments called for him to own up to his comment rather than just deeming it a joke.
The USA booked their ticket to the gold medal game against France, largely due to the strong performances of LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
Here's a look at another recent run-in Hawkins had with internet trolls:
Hawkins wasted no time finding himself in the middle of the Kansas State Wildcats-Kansas Jayhawks rivalry.
The star forward is already getting caught up with social media trolls after transferring to K-State in June. A Jayhawks fan account posted, "Just thought of this: Coleman Hawk-Tuahins", referring to the viral 'Hawk Tuah' meme.
Hawkins replied to the post with a photo of NBA All-Stars sleeping on a plane, as snoring sounds were heard in the background.
The media was loving Hawkins' response, with comments reading things such as "By the end of this season Coleman may be my favorite Cat ever." The fan favorite is expected to earn roughly $2 million from NIL deals in the upcoming season.
Anthony Pasciolla is a contributing writer to K-State On SI. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or followed on X @Anthony Pasci.
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