NBA superstar LeBron James, much disliked by conservatives for his protests of the National Anthem and known for flopping on the court, flopped yet again recently, causing a series of hilarious roasts online. The incident was sparked by LeBron’s poor performance when the Lakers played the Boston Celtics on Saturday, March 8th.
The game stayed tight until about two minutes into the fourth quarter. Celtics star Jayson Tatum got the better of LeBron. On a swift play for the rim, Tatum smoothly blew past him for an easy layup, barely touching LeBron. Calling it a graze would be generous. Of course, LeBron, being LeBron, tried selling it to the refs by dramatically flopping, hoping for a call.
The flop was a theatrical performance. As if hit by lightning rather than bumped on the court, he sprung his upper body backward while grabbing his chin and then threw himself on the ground. Lebron remained kneeling, hoping to get a foul called on Jayson Tatum. In reality, LeBron acted in quite a delayed and slow fashion to the bump from Tatum, which wasn’t a significant hit; his whole performance looked like a contrived act rather than an honest reaction to an actual foul.
The stunt ultimately backfired. The internet quickly started roasting LeBron James, resulting in some hilarious reactions on social media. One user on X went as far as to say, “Don’t ever compare this man to Jordan again,” referring to Michael Jordan, the six-time NBA Champion widely regarded as the greatest player of all time.
Another user on X commented on a widely shared flop clip, “LOL, this is your GOAT?” casting doubt online that LeBron James truly deserves the title of the greatest player of all time. This user was not alone in this debate. Another account had a similar reaction to the flop. It condemned James by saying, “This is why I could never put him above MJ or Kobe.” referring to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, the late great player with his own five NBA Championships.
Meanwhile, one critic condemned the 40-year-old, relating him to the sport notorious for flops. He stated, “LeFlop, flopping as always. He is worse than soccer players..” For those of you who are unaware, soccer is infamous for its flopping players. Flops are an unjust attempt to draw a foul on opposing players, getting them booked with a yellow or a red card. It may be time for a LeBron career change. His flopping skills might come to good use in soccer.
It won’t take a rewatch to see how apparent this attempt to draw the foul was. You would think the “GOAT” would have more respect for the game. Perhaps the Los Angeles Lakers should hire Hollywood special effects studios to help cover one of the greatest flops of all time. While shocking and disappointing in a vacuum, this behavior is expected from a player who protests the National Anthem. Here is a clip of the flop in all its glory:
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Adding insult to injury, LeBron left the game with 6:44 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter due to a “Groin injury.” However, ESPN reported that James downplayed the injury, saying there was “not much concern” and vowing to ‘go day to day’ in treating it. It is still uncertain what LeBron’s future looks like. One ESPN source said the initial thought is that the injury will sideline James for weeks, not days. While LeBron is the game’s all-time leading scorer, his ridiculous on-court flops may tarnish his legacy.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video