NBA superstar Lebron James had a juvenile meltdown over a Lakers loss on Saturday night.
James, who the NBA has made the face of the league for over two decades, complained loudly over a referee call in a failed attempt to beat the Timberwolves.
Following a controversial call in Saturday night’s 108-106 Lakers defeat to the Timberwolves, future NBA Hall of Famer LeBron James exploded on the officials.
James had attempted a game-tying three-pointer in the closing seconds of the game, but referee Tony Brothers deemed it a two-pointer because James’ toe was on the three-point line.
With 2.3 seconds left, the shot would have knotted the game at 107 if the call had been a three-pointer.
During the next timeout, the officials examined the play, but James went ballistic because they couldn’t see what he was witnessing.
James rushed up to the screen, where he pleaded with the officials and pointed in a frustrated tone.
The NBA player shouted, “That’s bull**it!” over and over again.
But in the end, his begging didn’t matter since the call was upheld.
One X user drew a comparison between James and another disputed call in Saturday night’s NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Detroit Lions, sparking memes as the moment went viral.
— garypaintin (@garypaintin20) December 31, 2023
James continued to complain about the referee’s call after the game.
“What the hell do we got replay for?” James said.
“What do we have replay for if even the replay gets it wrong?
“It’s just like, who is a part of the replay center?
“Like, do we got robots in there making Teslas? Like, what’s going on?”
“I mean, it’s obvious it’s a three.
“My foot was behind the line.
“You can see the space between the front of my foot and the 3-point line.
“You can clearly see the wood on the floor, the space in between the front of my foot and the 3-point line.
“Stevie Wonder can see that, champ.”
Tony Brothers, the crew chief, gave an after-game explanation for his choice.
“The play was ruled a 2-point field goal on the floor during live play,” Brothers told a reporter.
“After video review, there wasn’t clear and conclusive evidence to overturn it from a 2 to a 3, and that’s why it stood as a 2-point field goal.”
To paraphrase TNT commentator Charles Barkley, Lebron James is clearly “not a role model.”
