Stephen Bruno Jr, who ran a branch of popular chain PJ's in Louisiana, unwisely reacted to a status update by the Los Angeles Lakers talisman.

When James called for his vast audience to help "protect our young black women and men", the franchisee replied by curtly telling him to eat an eggplant emoji – interpreted by most as a reference to a penis.

Kenn Barnes saw the exchange and posted a screenshot of it alongside Bruno’s Facebook biography, in which he claimed to be a "franchisee at PJ’s Coffee".

That led to the company removing Bruno from their ranks, adding in a statement that they had taken swift action in order to keep "supporting the diverse communities in which we serve" – even though Barnes pointed out that he did not call for any punishment.

"When I made the post, I never said 'this is despicable, he shouldn’t say this' or 'he should lose his franchise' or 'he should be canceled' or anything of that sort," Barnes insisted to KHOU. "I [just] posted his words."

Reaction to the firing was divided online, with some applauding bosses and others claiming that Bruno had become the latest victim of "wokeness".

"PJ's need to eat a d*ck," seethed one unimpressed reader. "Given Lebron James' behavior lately, Bruno's tweet was appropriate. It's a shame you had to involve yourselves in protected free speech like this."