At the start of the 2010s, LeBron James’ Miami Heat and Paul George’s Indiana Pacers were big rivals in the Eastern Conference. They clashed several times in the playoffs, with the Pacers giving the Heat a run for their money whenever they faced each other.
However, the Floridians always won their duels, eliminating the Pacers thanks to incredible performances by The King. In the middle of that, LeBron found a big rival in Lance Stephenson who did everything he could to get under The King’s skin whenever they go at it.
One of the most infamous moments of their rivalry came when Stephenson blew in LeBron’s ear, which went viral at the moment, creating one of the biggest memories for NBA fans. It’s been seven years since that moment and Stephenson still gets asked about that.
Talking with HoopsHype, the former Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers player revealed what went through his mind at that time.
The LeBron moment. Blowing in his ear during a game. Take me back. How did it all happen?
LS: I didn’t have it prepared. It was all in the flow of the game. Being out there, competing. Everybody in the league is competitive, and wants that one thing; to win the game. Sometimes you do whatever it takes to win the game. That guy is a tough guy to guard, so you got to bring your all, and that’s what I did.
Did you expect it to become that viral all around the world?
LS: I didn’t expect it to be shown. I didn’t think it was going to be captured. They caught that right in the act of it. That was crazy.
Stephenson then revealed that they never addressed that moment as it just happened and went viral. Until this day, fans still remember this iconic moment but Lance never had a discussion with LeBron about it.
Did you ever talk about the blowing in his ear moment with LeBron?
LS: No, we never talked about it.
Lance and LeBron would become teammates a couple of years later, joining forces in Los Angeles during Bron’s first year on the Lakers. They didn’t succeed, as The King still had a young core that couldn’t do much to thrive in the West.
Now, Stephenson is on the G League, trying to find his way back to the league. He’s confident he can do it, but time will tell if another team gives him a chance to show he can be helpful in the association.
