Cleveland Cavaliers fans were given quite the scare on Thursday night when LeBron James went crashing head-first into a cameraman during Game 4 of the NBA Finals. According to Andrew Bogut, LeBron himself is the one responsible for the frightening moment.
After the game, Bogut told reporters he felt LeBron jumped into the cameraman on purpose.
“I think he jumped into the cameraman,” Bogut said, according to Sam Amick of USA Today Sports. “Yeah, I think he came down and took two steps and then fell into the cameraman. I definitely, definitely didn’t hit him that hard.”
When pressed further, Bogut said he was stating a fact and not an opinion.
“No, that’s how it was,” he added. “If you look at the replay, you can see the two steps being taken and then him falling into the camera. That’s what we saw on the replay, and that’s what my teammates saw.”
LeBron’s feet did hit the ground twice before he fell, but I don’t know if you can call those “steps.” It seems unlikely that he would risk injuring himself like that just to get a call, although you never know.
Truth be told, Bogut may be flattering himself if he thinks LeBron was trying to get him thrown out of the game. For the first time in the series, the 7-footer was not in the starting lineup (something Warriors coach Steve Kerr lied about before the game). Bogut played just three minutes and did not score.
Did LeBron embellish? Try telling his Nike manager that.
