One of the NBA’s most prolific floppers went berserk after refs admittedly missed an obvious foul at the end of regulation.
With the score tied between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics with just seconds remaining in the game, LeBron James drove through several defenders and went up for a contested layup. He missed the shot amidst a crowded lane and obvious contact, crumpling on the floor in disgust as the teams prepared for overtime.
The Lakers would go on to lose in the extra session.
Take a look as James loses his mind after refs missed the call, throwing his hands up in the air and falling to the floor in overwhelming self-pity.
LeBron was not happy after this play to win the game. pic.twitter.com/FNMPBQTHox
— ESPN (@espn) January 29, 2023
Here was how Fox News covered the final play-by-play:
LeBron James was furious with NBA officials on Saturday night and Patrick Beverley received an untimely technical foul for sarcastically trying to show a referee they missed a call in the final moments of regulation.
In a 105-105 game between the Lakers and the Boston Celtics with about 4 seconds left, James went to his left and drove down the lane toward the basket. James was surrounded by three Celtics defenders and went up to the basket with his left hand and it appeared he was hit on the arm by Jayson Tatum.
James has made a career of expecting privileges in the NBA, particularly when it comes to foul calls. Now, the NBA has its own vested interest in protecting its stars and keeping the talent happy. It’s a smart business move, though it comes at the cost of raising a league of entitled crybabies.
James certainly gets no lost love for myriad fans after his silence over Chinese politics and oppression, as many see him as kowtowing tio a corrupt regime so that he can get his endorsements, ad deals, and the lucrative Chinese market.
In one famous instance, he spoke out against a former general manager who dared suggest that the people of Hong Kong deserved basic freedoms and rights. How dare they!
Despite that compromised stance on foreign politics, James has nevertheless weighed in on countless occasions to bemoan the alleged state of systemic racism and oppression in the United States. He has threatened police officers – saying “they’re next” for some type of retribution – even though in that case the exonerated officer was protecting a young black girl from certain harm.
James also leaned heavily into the former Ahmed Arbury case, saying black people were being “hunted down” in the United States. He forgot to mention that 90% of all black homicides were at the hands of other blacks.
Still, for purists of the game, a blatant missed call does disrupt the natural progression of a game. In this case, NBA officials later admitted to missing the call.
In a pool report from tonight’s game, referee Eric Lewis admitted the officials missed a call at the end of regulation that would have awarded LeBron James potential game-winning free throws: pic.twitter.com/fFD8Gv70zm
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 29, 2023
“In a pool report from tonight’s game, referee Eric Lewis admitted the officials missed a call at the end of regulation that would have awarded LeBron James potential game-winning free throws,” the tweet read while featuring a screen shot of a conversation.
Fox recapped James’ performance.
James played 44 minutes. He scored 41 points with nine rebounds and eight assists in the loss. Beverley added 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals. Anthony Davis came off the bench and scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. He also had four assists.
"*" indicates required fields