diff --git a/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py b/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py
index a0e9250ac..d1840073a 100644
--- a/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py
+++ b/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py
@@ -908,8 +908,9 @@ async def chat_completion(request: Request, model: Optional[str] = None, user_ap
             or model # for azure deployments
             or data["model"] # default passed in http request
         )
-
-        data["user"] = user_api_key_dict.get("user_id", None)
+        # users can pass in 'user' param to /chat/completions. Don't override it
+        if data["user"] is None:
+            data["user"] = user_api_key_dict.get("user_id", None)
 
         if "metadata" in data:
             data["metadata"]["user_api_key"] = user_api_key_dict["api_key"]