The unquestioned star of the Cavaliers’ trip on the subway in New York is the “Can You Not? Subway Man” who got angry at LeBron James for filming him.
‘Can you not?’ Guy gave LeBron James the perfect NYC subway welcome
LeBron’s vlog became a work of art, thanks to one man.
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
The Cavaliers decided to take the train back from Madison Square Garden after a shoot around instead of traveling above ground and getting stuck in traffic. The players made some new friends — like this guy, who clearly had no idea LeBron was sitting next to him.
Wearing a suit, fleece jacket and puffy coat — the only thing Can You Not? Subway Man likes more than layers is his anonymity, which was ruined by his impromptu stardom in LeBron’s vlog about riding on a train.
Sporting some AirPods and looking at his phone, it only took a second for the commuter to realize he was on camera before uttering the catch phrase that’s sweeping the nation.
This is clearly a dude who is up to something he shouldn’t be. Maybe he called out sick. Perhaps he’s pretending to be at the office and sending emails from his work account — now he’s all over the internet.
LeBron couldn’t help but laugh at the situation, and the dude got so annoyed that he got up and left.
At least it gave the Cavaliers a little more room, because it’s cramped inside a subway car if you’re a giant NBA player. Sure, the Cavs’ subway etiquette leaves a little to be desired — but Can You Not? Commuter will have a story forever of the time he sat next to LeBron on the train, didn’t realize it was him and said “CAN YOU NOT?”
