The NFL isn’t the only pro sport getting up in arms over officiating as NBA star LeBron James blasts officials over a call Saturday that gave him a two-point shot for what he feels was clearly a three-pointer.
On Saturday night, as the L.A. Lakers fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 108-106, James went nuclear on officials after being given a two-point field goal as the last seconds of the game ticked down.
After the call was made, James immediately ran over to the replay screen on the sidelines and angrily let the officials know that he thinks he made a three-pointer, not a two, according to Fox News.
LeBron James letting the refs know that his shot was a threeὄpic.twitter.com/xgQPuG787c
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 31, 2023
He was still hot about the call after the game.
“It’s obviously a 3,” James said in the postgame presser. “My foot is behind the line. I mean, you can see the space between the front of my foot and the 3-point line. You can clearly see a white the wood on the floor, there’s a space in between the front of my foot and the 3-point line. So, you know, Stevie Wonder can see that, champ.”
The replay officials headquartered in Secaucus, New Jersey, validated the call on the court. And James took aim at them, as well.
“They said it was out of their hands,” James said. “The Secaucus, whatever, over there in the replay center or whatever, somebody over there eating a ham sandwich, or somebody made the call.”
The Lakers star also wondered out loud why the NBA even has a replay rule if it doesn’t matter anyway.
“It’s super frustrating in the sense of what the hell we got a replay for?” James said. “What do we have replay for if even the replay gets it wrong? It’s like, who’s the part of the replay center? Like, do we got robots in there that’s making the Teslas? What’s going on? If you don’t see that, that is clear, that is clear.”
Official Tony Brothers insisted that there was insufficient evidence to award James the three-pointer.
“The play was ruled a 2-point field goal on the floor during live play,” Brothers said. “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.”
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