Before the Los Angeles Lakers faced off in the In-Season Tournament game against the Phoenix Suns on Friday night, LeBron James decided to put up some left-handed shots. In typical James fashion, he drilled five in a row.
LeBron is MONEY shooting with the left 😲
Lakers-Suns | West Group A Play 🏆
🏀: 10pm/et on ESPN pic.twitter.com/E97nNFwFJN
— NBA (@NBA) November 11, 2023
LeBron is actually left-handed, for those who are unaware, but this is still very impressive. He does everything with his left hand, except for shooting the basketball. You do wonder how much better he could have been at it had he opted to shoot left-handed from the start. Would he have been a better long-range shooter? Maybe.
NBA Fans Were In Awe Of LeBron James
This clip went viral on social media and NBA fans were in awe of James as they reacted to it.
One says this is why LeBron is the GOAT.
That’s why he’s the GOAT
— Edmund (@Edjay7005) November 11, 2023
NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor wonders if the 38-year-old is shooting with the wrong hand.
LeBron James…shoots with the wrong hand!?
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) November 11, 2023
A fan hilariously stated LeBron can make more shots with his left than he can with his right.
He's hitting more shots with his left than I can hit with my right 🤦🏾♂️
— Smellgood (@mnorm2001) November 11, 2023
James is just too good, a fan states.
Lebron too good
— FreeMind🇺🇸 🇨🇦 (@hynex12) November 11, 2023
One fan joked that Jaylen Brown can’t do this.
Something Jaylen Brown can’t do
— 𝟐𝟑 👑 (@BronWorld) November 11, 2023
His hot shooting with his left in warmups translated to the game as well, as James had 27 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and a block on 9-14 shooting from the field at the end of the third quarter, and he hit all of his 3 three-pointers as well. There were concerns when he went down with a non-contact injury in the first quarter of the game but seems to be perfectly fine now.
Why Did LeBron James Become A Right-Handed Player?
While players shooting with their non-dominant hand is not something unheard of, as Russell Westbrook also does it, it’s still rather uncommon. It just makes sense to shoot with the dominant hand, so why did James go this route? Well, LeBron explained he converted to a right-handed player because of Michael Jordan and Penny Hardaway.
“I have no idea how I became a right-handed basketball player. I think maybe it was because of Michael Jordan, Penny Hardaway, guys that I looked up to growing up. Seeing those guys shoot righty, I guess I’ll shoot righty. I’m pretty much a left-hand guy. I don’t take many of those shots, but I’m capable of making those shots. I work on my craft, I work on both hands.”
LeBron revealed this back in 2017 and it makes sense that two players he looked up to influenced him. He did state, though, that he wishes he was a lefty when it came to basketball, as those shots look better.
The one aspect of James’ game that isn’t elite is his shooting and if we assume that he’d have been better at it had he shot left-handed, you’d then be looking at the perfect player. There would have been no way whatsoever to guard him and he’d probably have more accolades than he has now.
That’s a crazy statement to make about the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, who has won four championships, four Finals MVPs, and four MVPs, but it’s certainly not an outlandish one. You’re just left wondering what might have been had he shot lefty.
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