'Squid Game' creator jokingly claps back after LeBron James critiqued the show's ending: 'Have you seen Space Jam 2?'

• The creator of "Squid Game" jokingly clapped back at LeBron James for criticism of the show's ending.
• "Have you seen Space Jam 2?" Hwang Dong-hyuk said in response.
• Warning: There are "Squid Game" spoilers ahead.

The creator of popular Netflix hit "Squid Game" clapped back at NBA star LeBron James' criticism of the show with a reference to "Space Jam 2."

The Korean survival drama series follows a group of adults struggling to pay off their debts who are invited to play children's games to win 45 billion won (about $40 million USD) — but losing the games has deadly consequences.

After speaking to reporters during a press conference on October 12, reporter Kyle Goon tweeted a video of James and fellow Los Angeles Laker Anthony Davis discussing the end of the Netflix hit.

James appeared to reference the finale of show when main protagonist Seong Gi-hun walked away from a flight to see his daughter living in the US, setting up the start to his mission to end the games once and for all.

"I didn't like the ending, though," James said in the video. "I know it's supposed to start off season two, but get on that fucking flight and see your daughter. What are you doing?"

—Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) October 13, 2021

In an interview with The Guardian on Tuesday, Hwang Dong-hyuk jokingly responded to James' criticism, saying: "Have you seen Space Jam 2?"

James starred in the sequel of 1996's original "Space Jam" movie, "Space Jam: A New Legacy." The film was welcomed with a slew of bad reviews, earning a 26% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Hwang added that he respected James' criticism of  "Squid Game."

"LeBron James is cool and can say what he wants. I respect that," he told The Guardian. "I'm very thankful he watched the whole series. But I wouldn't change my ending. That's my ending."

"If he has his own ending that would satisfy him, maybe he could make his own sequel," the creator continued. "I'll check it out and maybe send him a message saying, 'I liked your whole show, except the ending.'"