Twitter users were treated to a big-time LeComplaint on Monday.
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers suffered their third consecutive defeat on Sunday, dropping a 113-112 nailbiter to the Philadelphia 76ers to fall to 19-24 on the season. The game had a controversial ending in which Lakers guard Russell Westbrook lost control on the final possession and later claimed that he was fouled by 76ers center Joel Embiid on the play (check out the video here).
James took to Twitter on Monday afternoon to complain about the way that the Lakers were officiated. The ex-MVP quote-tweeted a thread that said (in part), “Why is NBA trying to make sure Lakers lose?” and asked why the treatment the Lakers were getting from the refs wasn’t “a huge scandal.”
“And all year they keep telling me to my face on the court, ‘I didn’t see it’ or ‘It wasn’t a foul,'” James himself wrote in addition to the thread, referencing the referees. “It’s not making sense to me seriously! Frustrating as hell man! Anyways keep going Squad!”
And all year they keep telling me to my face on the court, “I didn’t see it” or “It wasn’t a foul”. It’s not making sense to me seriously! Frustrating as hell man! Anyways keep going Squad! 💜💛👑 https://t.co/tsrlXtJjuO
— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 16, 2023
James’ tweet comes amid two straight close losses by the Lakers in games where the officiating came into question. On top of the defeat to the 76ers, the Lakers lost in double overtime to the Dallas Mavericks three nights prior in a game where James also had several gripes over no-calls.
Of course, James is notoriously a serial complainer who has had too many instances to count over the years of grumbling about the officiating (an issue that seems to have gotten worse since he arrived in Los Angeles). At the end of the day, the Lakers continue to put themselves in close-game situations where there is a greater likelihood that a ref’s call (or non-call) will impact who wins and who loses.
There is something to be said about teams that can fight through uneven officiating (a constant in almost all sports) to grind out wins. James and the Lakers (who now have 73 total losses over the last season-and-a-half, surely not all of which can be attributed to bad refereeing) are simply not doing that right now.
