LeBron James sent an Instagram tribute to Kobe Bryant on Wednesday night, three days after his Los Angeles Lakers beat the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.
The Lakers dedicated the rest of their season to Bryant after the late Lakers star died in a helicopter crash on January 26. James and Anthony Davis got tribute tattoos for the Black Mamba and played with him on their mind.
James’ tribute to Bryant showed him with the Mamba’s No. 24 jersey across his lap. The post’s caption said: “Hope I’m made you proud my brother!! Love and miss you Champ!!”
When James signed with the Lakers two years ago, his goal was to return them to the top of the basketball world. Once the team acquired Davis in a trade with the Pelicans last year, that goal became much more attainable.
James now has won four championships in his career, and they have come with three different teams. He is one shy of the five titles Bryant won.
Lakers fans, show everyone who runs LA with this great T-shirt. It makes a perfect gift for you or a friend. You can buy it here.
Tom Brady did not openly admit after last week’s loss to the Chicago Bears that he lost track of downs late in the game, but the future Hall of Famer is finally having a laugh at his own expense over the blunder.
Brady congratulated LeBron James on capturing his fourth NBA title with a great tweet on Monday. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback shared a photoshopped image that shows LeBron’s head on Brady’s body holding up four fingers.
Brady also joked “not bad for a washed up old guy!” The two have continued to play at an extremely high level even as they are considered “old” for their respective sports, so they have that in common.
Brady lost track of downs late in Tampa Bay’s game against the Bears, and it proved costly. With the Bucs trailing 20-19, he threw a low-percentage pass on 4th down and then seemed puzzled when it resulted in a turnover on downs. He told reporters he wished he executed better but did not openly acknowledge losing track of downs. Even Bruce Arians tried to cover for his quarterback, though the coach was not all that convincing.
Kudos to Brady for finally taking it on the chin.
Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski have teamed up yet again! Treat yourself or a friend with this great Tampa Fiesta shirt. You can buy it here.
LeBron James is being criticized by some for passing to Danny Green for a shot at the end of Game 5 of the NBA Finals in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. on Friday night.
The Los Angeles Lakers had the ball with 16.8 seconds left down 109-108 against the Miami Heat. James drove towards the basket and attracted about three Heat defenders. He passed back to Green, who had an open look at a three. Green had to gather the ball first as the pass wasn’t perfect. He ended up missing, and Markieff Morris followed with an airball.
ESPN analyst Jay Williams, a former NBA point guard, criticized James for passing.
Many others, including Portland guard C.J. McCollum, disagreed with Williams and thought James made the right play.
Williams and James had an issue in September over another matter, which may play a role here.
After the 111-108 loss, James defended his decision to pass.
“I was able to draw two defenders below the free throw line and find one of our shooters at the top of the key wide open to win a championship. I trusted him. We trusted him. And it just didn’t go. You live with that,” James said after the game.
“It’s one of the best shots we could have gotten. Especially down the stretch. Two guys on me. Danny got a heck of a look. It just didn’t go down. I know he wishes he could have it again. I wish I could make a better pass. You live with it.”
It’s very difficult to argue that James made the wrong play when you see the open look Green had. One person doesn’t win a title; teams do. And from John Paxson to Steve Kerr, even Michael Jordan relied on his teammates to knock down big shots.
James made the right play. The shot just didn’t go down. And a better pass would have helped.
The Lakers still lead the Finals 3-2. Game 6 will be on Sunday.
LeBron James has learned a lot about the Los Angeles Lakers since joining the team before last season. He’s particularly become more informed about the high expectations of the team’s fanbase.
James gave a good summation of what he found Laker fans to be like: the expectations are high, and what you’ve done before does not matter.
“The Laker faithful don’t give a damn what you’ve done before,” James said Thursday, via Mark Medina of USA Today. “Until you become a Laker, you’ve got to do it with them as well. They don’t care about your resume at all until you become a Laker. Then you got to do it as a Laker.”
LeBron probably learned this early when not all Laker fans were overjoyed by his arrival. If he didn’t then, he has now.
The good news for James is he is now a win away from bringing a title back to Los Angeles. If he gets the championship, any doubters will probably be won over.
Lakers fans, show everyone who runs LA with this great T-shirt. It makes a perfect gift for you or a friend. You can buy it here.
Following Jimmy Butler’s 40 point, 11 rebound, 13 assist masterpiece in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, the Miami Heat looked poised to truly threaten the Los Angeles Lakers. But in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday night, Tyler Herro and the rest of the Heat learned there is no standing in the way of the King’s destiny.
By winning Game 4, the Lakers established a stronghold in the series, taking a 3-1 lead — an advantage LeBron James has never squandered before in his extensive playoff history. While the Heat, like seemingly every other basketball team in the world, don’t have an answer for the league’s most potent duo of James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers’ shooting and rebounding have been vital to their success.
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LeBron James showed poor sportsmanship when he walked off the court before time expired in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night, and Patrick Mahomes’ mother joined the chorus of people who criticized the Los Angeles Lakers star for the move.
Several people took to social media after LeBron walked off the court to rip him for his lack of leadership, and Mahomes’ mother Randi highlighted one such post on her Instagram story. She ripped LeBron, which you can see in the screenshot captured by Egotastic Sports.
“Absolutely!! Real Leaders 1st ones in and Last ones to Leave,” Randi Mahomes wrote.
The Lakers got beat by the Miami Heat 115-104 in Game 3. As Miami was dribbling out the final seconds on the clock, LeBron walked off the floor and made his way toward the tunnel. Some other players followed. Since the shot clock expired with 0.7 seconds left, the Lakers needed to put three substitutes into the game to replace LeBron, Rajon Rondo and Kyle Kuzma. You can see the video of what transpired here.
At the very least, that was a bad look for LeBron and his teammates. No one likes losing, but you should give your opponent the respect of remaining on the court until the game is over. Randi Mahomes is hardly alone with her opinion.
Tyler Herro gave his best flop after making contact with LeBron James on a fastbreak layup during Game 4 of the NBA Finals at Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. on Tuesday night, and he received the meme treatment.
Duncan Robinson tried to make a pass to Herro midway through the first quarter during a Miami Heat possession. Instead, James was there for the steal. LeBron took the ball all the way for a fastbreak dunk to put the Lakers up 15-12.
The way James sent Herro flying led to numerous jokes.
Forgive Herro, as he was just trying to do his best Alex Caruso impression.
Jimmy Butler put up a huge game in his Miami Heat’s 115-104 Game 3 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals on Sunday night. Butler scored 40 points with 11 rebounds and 13 assists while leading his team to victory.
Butler was seen late in the fourth quarter saying “you’re in trouble” to the Lakers and LeBron James.
Butler was asked after the game about that comment and wanted to make it clear that James started it by saying that to him in the first quarter.
“We’re not going to act like I’m just out there talking trash, because I’m not. ‘Bron said it to me at the end of the first. That’s what happened. I just said it to him in the fourth quarter,” Butler clarified.
If James is going to start with Butler, then Jimmy is going to finish it. At least he did in Game 3.
Game 4 of the series will be on Tuesday. Butler wasn’t asked about the Lakers’ weak move walking off the court early in the loss.
LeBron James and some of his Los Angeles Lakers teammates could not be bothered to stay until the end of their loss on Sunday night to the Miami Heat.
The Lakers got beat by Miami 115-104 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The Heat were dribbling out the clock to end the game. With just under 10 seconds left, James just walked off the floor and made his way towards the tunnel. Some other Lakers players who were on the floor at the time followed his lead.
The shot clock expired with 0.7 seconds left and the Lakers needed to put three substitutes into the game because James, Rajon Rondo and Kyle Kuzma had already left the court.
James was asked after the game if he walked off the court because he was frustrated or thought the game was over and said “both.”
That was an unsportsmanlike move from the Lakers. True sportsmen stay until the end and give the respect to their opponent of acknowledging defeat.
Of course they are upset about losing, but that’s part of the game. If you don’t want to lose because it’s painful, then play better next time.
This sort of behavior actually is not new for some of the players on the Lakers.
A government watchdog group recently sought to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for a series of billboard criticizing LeBron James and his stance on China, but the idea was nixed by an advertising company.
Virginia-based conservative group National Legal and Policy Center designed a billboard that shows LeBron with a Chinese flag covering his mouth and the message, “Silence is Violence.” The billboard also pointed people to a website called Freedom4China.com. According to an email reviewed by Isabel Vincent of the New York Post, Outfront Media blocked the ad out of fear of upsetting James.
“We cannot accept the ad as it is right now,” a representative for Outfront wrote in the email. “The Chinese flag is Ok, and the silence is violence is ok.”
You can see the design of the billboard below:
The rep said the billboards would be cleared if LeBron’s image were removed, but NLPC chairman Peter Flaherty said that is not an option.
“Some messages are too important to be suppressed,” Flaherty said. “When it comes to human rights in China, silence is indeed violence. We should be able to call LeBron on his hypocrisy without this censorship.”
The NLPC came up with different versions of the ad but they were all rejected by Outfront, which eventually stopped responding to the inquiries.
LeBron has been extremely outspoken on the topic of social injustice in the United States, but his stance on China has drawn criticism. When Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey showed support last year for Hong Kong protestors who were fighting against the communist Chinese regime, LeBron said he felt Morey was not educated on the situation. James later tried to clarify his remarks and was called out by some within the NBA community.
The NBA as a whole has been accused of ignoring civil rights issues in China to protect its own financial interests. The same can be said of LeBron, who has a lifetime endorsement deal with Nike and its Chinese-manufactured products.
