The standard of refereeing in the NBA has been called into question, possibly every season since the league began. There are always players that are unhappy with the way a referee is calling the game. Sometimes, their outrage is warranted, like Kevin Durant calling the refs out for Jayson Tatum’s technical recently or the noise around Klay Thompson getting away with fouling the Sacramento Kings on the last shot.
But other times, the players have gotten just as proficient at duping the referees a little. Foul baiting, exaggerating contact, and other such activities all count as flopping and are all regularly used by the league’s craftiest players. A lot of these players are also superstars, and at times, it’s something that they get praise for in terms of being clever. And recently, LeBron James claimed that he needs to learn to do it too.
“I love physicality, but also, I’d like for the whistle to be blown when I get hit. I mean, four free throws once again. I looked at a lot of guys tonight, shoot a lot of jump shots. They’re going 9, 13 times to the free throw line.
“I gotta learn how to flop or something, seriously. I need to learn how to do that, swipe my head back or do something to get to the free throw lines.”
This was a big claim by LeBron James, it’s not like the King has been above gamesmanship during his long career. And he got called out for it after his comments by former NBA player Chandler Parsons.
Chandler Parsons Called LeBron James Out For Flopping
Parsons was part of a panel that was discussing James’ comments after the game. The former NBA player has played against LeBron quite a few times in his career, and he was quick to suggest that the King already knows how to flop.
“Learn how to flop… this man flops!” 😂@ChandlerParsons on LeBron James saying he needs to learn how to flop#RunItBack with @MichelleDBeadle @ShamsCharania @bansky
📺: https://t.co/Q9hUtU7eB9 pic.twitter.com/JDHuJhwlbv
— FanDuel TV (@FanDuelTV) November 15, 2022
“Here’s my thing, learn how to flop? This man flops. That was a crazy comment because he’s low-key kind of known for flopping. Like he’s physical, he’s strong and he’s an absolute specimen but start flopping is a little nuts to me.”
Parsons isn’t entirely wrong, LeBron James and most NBA superstars know what they need to do to get a foul call when they need it. The consistency of calls is a problem that the league absolutely has to figure out a way to deal with, but the players haven’t really been above bending the rules themselves in the past.
If you are interested in more NBA news, follow us on Google News for the latest updates.
