LeBron James Has A Priceless Reaction To Maxi Kleber Airballing A Layup Against Pelicans

LeBron James couldn't believe Maxi Kleber blew the layup.

Dec 1, 2025

3 Min Read

Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts in the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers took down the New Orleans Pelicans 133-121 at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday in Lebron James‘ absence. Not a lot went wrong offensively for the Lakers on the night, but forward Maxi Kleber did have one embarrassing moment.

Kleber shockingly airballed a layup late in the third quarter, and James had a priceless reaction to that on the bench.

LeBron’s reaction after Maxi Kleber smoked the layup 😭pic.twitter.com/AZ7IvdbiDr

— Underdog (@Underdog) December 1, 2025

That was indeed hilarious. Fortunately for Kleber, this game was never really close, so his blowing the layup didn’t end up hurting the Lakers in any way. The German was also fouled on the play earlier and did at least make both of his free throws after this. They ended up being his only points on the night.

Kleber finished with two points and one rebound in 13 minutes against the Pelicans, as the Lakers improved to 15-4. This was their seventh win in a row, and it was the Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves show once again.

Doncic had 34 points (9-22 FG), 12 rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and one block on the night. Reaves, meanwhile, put up 33 points (9-15 FG), five rebounds, eight assists, one steal, and one block. These two continue to ensure that James’ absence isn’t felt. The Lakers are now 11-4 without him this season.

James sat out against the Pelicans due to left foot injury management. Lakers head coach JJ Redick eased any concerns about his status pregame by revealing they were just being cautious with the 21-time All-Star.

James, of course, didn’t have a proper training camp and missed the first 14 games of this season due to sciatica. This clash against the Pelicans is the first of a back-to-back, and they didn’t want him to play on both nights.

Redick did add that James, who is averaging 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in 2025-26, will play in back-to-backs later in the season. With the team rolling at the moment, thanks to Doncic and Reaves, there is no need to push the 40-year-old to play every night.

The Lakers take on the Phoenix Suns at Crypto.com Arena on Monday at 10 PM ET, and expect James to feature in that contest.

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ByGautam Varier

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Gautam Varier is a staff writer and columnist for Fadeaway World from Mumbai, India. He graduated from Symbiosis International University with a Master of Business specializing in Sports Management in 2020. This educational achievement enables Gautam to apply sophisticated analytical techniques to his incisive coverage of basketball, blending business acumen with sports knowledge.Before joining Fadeaway World in 2022, Gautam honed his journalistic skills at Sportskeeda and SportsKPI, where he covered a range of sports topics with an emphasis on basketball. His passion for the sport was ignited after witnessing the high-octane offense of the Steve Nash-led Phoenix Suns. Among the Suns, Shawn Marion stood out to Gautam as an all-time underrated NBA player. Marion’s versatility as a defender and his rebounding prowess, despite being just 6’7”, impressed Gautam immensely. He admired Marion’s finishing ability at the rim and his shooting, despite an unconventional jump shot, believing that Marion’s skill set would have been even more appreciated in today’s NBA.This transformative experience not only deepened his love for basketball but also shaped his approach to sports writing, enabling him to connect with readers through vivid storytelling and insightful analysis.