LeBron James has made more than his fair share of clutch shots in his career but in recent years, he has struggled making them from beyond the arc. An ESPN graphic went viral on social media recently, which showed that LeBron has recorded 16 straight misses when attempting a go-ahead or game-tying three-pointer in the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter and overtime.
That is quite surprising. LeBron isn’t the greatest shooter around, but you wouldn’t have thought he’d have struggled to this extent. To be fair to the 20-time All-Star, though, he came as close as one can get to making one last season. I am, of course, referring to that infamous play in the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves in December 2023.
The referees on the court deemed this to be a two-pointer and the NBA’s replay center upheld that call. Had the officials called this a three, you’d think it wouldn’t have been overturned.
The fact that they called it a two meant LeBron has now gone over three years without making a game-winning/tying three-point shot in the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter and overtime. In case you’re wondering which was the game he last made one in, it was against the Oklahoma City Thunder in February 2021.
While LeBron hasn’t made threes in these late-game situations in recent years, it’d be unfair to say that he has never come up big in the clutch for the Lakers in that time. He shot 52.9% from the field in the clutch in 2023-24 and there probably isn’t anyone else on that team you’d rather have with the ball at the end of games.
LeBron James Shared What Goes Through His Head In Clutch Situations
LeBron gave us some insight into what goes through his head in clutch situations earlier this year. During an episode of The Shop, James broke down how he approaches clutch situations during games.
“What’s going on in my head? Like you said it’s in slow motion, I slow it down as well. It’s just about trying to be patient, not trying to be over-exertive or try to pre-determine what I’m going to do.”
“It’s still read and react, even with the clock going 9, 8, 7, 6. If you look at a stopwatch, those seconds are ticking, like they’re going fast. But for some odd reason on the basketball court for myself, when the time looks like it’s going fast, it’s actually slowing down for me.”
“So, I’m able to just slow it down and be able to see what’s going on on the floor. Does that always result in a make? No, I wish it would go in every single time. But I try to put myself in a position to make the right play or come home for the team every single time. That just comes with experience, the best teacher in life is experience. The more you get those moments, the better off you’ll be.”
LeBron has made it clear that he’ll always look to make the right play in those clutch situations. He isn’t interested in playing hero ball and has received criticism for that, which I have always found a bit absurd.
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