Here’s something you don’t see every day — LeBron James actually getting whistled for a violation.
The Los Angeles Lakers star was posting up in the first quarter of Game 5 against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday when he got called for a five-second back-to-the-basket violation. James did indeed have his back to the basket for over five seconds trying to get to work on Andrew Wiggins.
Here is the video.
Refs call a 5 second violation on Lebron.. rare call to see! #LALvsGSW pic.twitter.com/kaVFES2WYS
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) May 11, 2023
That is a violation by the letter of the NBA rulebook, but it is still very rare to see it actually get called. It’s especially so for a superstar such as James, who has gone to the post more often as he has gotten older (with 2.6 post-up shot attempts per game in the regular season and far more touches as a halfcourt offensive facilitator).
The referees may have been cracking down on James’ post-ups in Game 5. However, there is still plenty that he gets away with when he has the ball. You might recall that some of James’ uncalled travels over the years have been particularly egregious.
