LeBron James was furious after officials ruled his 3-point shot as a 2-pointer with two seconds left against the Minnesota Timberwolves. James had more comments about the ruling after the game, with NBA fans comparing with Patrick Mahomes' rant against the Buffalo Bills two weeks ago.
The LA Lakers were down by three points with eight seconds left when Anthony Davis grabbed a rebound and passed to James. The four-time NBA champ was quick to hit a shot beyond the arc that would have tied the game at 107-107.
However, the referees ruled it as a 2-point shot after the replay showed that James' foot had touched the 3-point line. It was still up for debate, considering that his toe touched the line on the release of the shot.
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LeBron James had an all-time rant after the game, questioning the officials in the game and the replay center in Secaucus, New Jersey. James even said that Steven Wonder would have ruled it as a 3-point shot. It was a tough loss for "The King" who was celebrating his 39th birthday.
Nevertheless, fans on social media took shots at James. Some compared his postgame rant to what Patrick Mahomes did a couple of weeks ago against the Bills. Mahomes had berated officials after an offside call on the Travis Kelce-Kadarius Toney play that would have won the Kansas City Chiefs the game.
One fan wrote:
"Dude is going full Patrick Mahomes."
Another chimed in:
"LeBron just facetimed Josh Allen after the game to yell at him about the refs."
One fan asked:
"Who's the Kadarius Toney in the Lakers?"
Here are the rest of the reactions on Reddit to LeBron James' meltdown:
What did LeBron James say after the game on his 39th birthday?
LeBron James celebrated his 39th birthday in frustration during a cold night in Minnesota, with an L hanging on the LA Lakers.
It was definitely not the best birthday for "The King" as he offered a piece of his mind about the officials.
"It's obvious it's a three," James said. "My foot is behind the line. I mean, you can see the space in between the front of my foot and the 3-point line. You can clearly a white (space). The wood on the floor.
He added:
"There's a space in between the front of my foot and the 3-point line. … Stevie Wonder can see that, champ."
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