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LeBron James has never been afraid to complain on the court. James was up to his old antics again when the LA Lakers beat the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. James ensured his voice was heard after a drink was spilled on the game ball.
After the drink spilled on the game ball, the referee brought the ball over to the scorer’s table. He began wiping the ball and suggested switching to the backup game ball.
The King vehemently denied the ref from changing the ball.
“No we don’t want to change. We don’t want to change. Keep it in there,” James said.
The referee was persuaded. James then called over Devin Booker to confirm that the ball was fine. James grabbed the backup ball and threw it to Booker to prove the two balls were not different. He quickly bounced the backup back out of bounds.
It looked like James wanted to keep the mojo going and not mess any karma up by switching balls. It worked as the Lakers pulled out the clutch win 106-103.
James’ antics drew the ire of fans. Many NBA fans took to social media to call out James. One even compared him to a reality star.
“LeBron James is the biggest diva in the world. He's worse than Kim Kardashian,” one fan wrote.
Many others piled on. Check out some of the best reactions from NBA fans.
LeBron James and the Lakers advance in the NBA In-Season Tournament
LeBron James and the Lakers pulled out a clutch win to advance to the semi-finals of the In-Season tournament. They sent Kevin Durant and Devin Booker home with the 106-103 win.
James pulled out an incredible performance. He scored 15 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter.
Austin Reaves also showed up big time for LA. He hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 15 seconds left. Anthony Davis added 27 points and 15 rebounds.
Keeping the ball in the game was not the only time the referees sided with James and LA. The Lakers inbounded the ball late in the match. However, Reaves dropped the ball with 11 seconds left, and it rolled to the Suns, who were down 105-103 at the time.
The refs instead awarded the Lakers a timeout and possession after James called one on the floor. Although Reaves did not have possession when the timeout was announced, the Lakers lucked out.
Davis hit a free throw, and Durant missed the game-tying attempt at the buzzer as LA pulled off the win.
The Lakers secured a spot in the semis of the In-Season tournament. They will play the New Orleans Pelicans. The winner will face off against the winner of the Milwaukee Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers game.
