As a 19-year veteran of the NBA, LeBron James commands all the respect in the world on the basketball court. Besides the players, fans, and media, that respect also applies to the referees, who usually give James the benefit of the doubt when it comes to making calls in games.
But after L.A.’s loss to the Cavaliers on Sunday, LeBron James actually went off on the officials for how they called the game, revealing that they often admit to missing calls.
“Last game I got bumped, knocked off the path a few times and at halftime, the refs came to me and told me they missed it. That’s kinda been what they’ve been telling me over the last couple of years that they just missed it.”
Here’s the clip of LeBron on the refs. He does not seem pleased about how he’s been officiated the past few seasons. pic.twitter.com/ufl2KShIQQ
— michael corvo (@michaelcorvo_) November 7, 2022
LeBron James Is Showing Signs Of Ageing In His 20th NBA Season
While the officiating may be part of the equation for LeBron, it may not be the full story. At almost 40 years old, James has been in decline for years now, and it’s starting to show for the first time in his career.
During Sunday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, James looked especially rusty from three, heaving up some airballs from deep that drew some criticism from the fans. They even started comparing James to Michael Jordan with the Wizards, who was pretty far out of his prime at that point of his career.
Whatever is going on with LeBron right now, it’s clear he is not feeling like himself. So far this season, he’s only averaging 24 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 7.5 assists on 43.1% shooting (well below his career average).
James hasn’t shot the ball well this season, and he has missed a surprising number of layups. Some fans have chalked it up to some sort of sickness, but the more games that go by, the more it looks like something more permanent.
Still, despite how it looks, we have to give James the benefit of the doubt. He has faced adversity before, and he has overcome great odds time and time again.
This time, however, even LeBron looks like he may have bitten off more than he can chew. Maybe if he starts getting some more calls around the rim, things will start to come a little easier for him.
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