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LeBron James has considered himself to be the greatest basketball player since 2016. His LA Lakers teammates passionately agree that he is indeed the GOAT.
After “King James” scored the game-winner against the Utah Jazz, the roster made goat noises in the locker room while the four-time MVP was interviewed.
Fans promptly reacted to the scene on Twitter:
“One of the greatest locker room moments”
When it comes to GOAT talk and LeBron James, though, they're not always going to be flattering comments.
James finished with 37 points, none bigger than the layup with 27 seconds left in the game to give the Lakers a crucial win. He also added six assists, five rebounds, one steal and one block in 38 minutes.
This was James' best game since returning from a month-long absence due to a right foot injury. He couldn't have picked a better time to get his rhythm and timing back.
Before the hilarious celebration in the locker room, the LA Lakers nearly blew the game to the short-handed Utah Jazz.
Utah didn't have the services of All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen and former Sixth Man of the Year winner Jordan Clarkson. Walker Kessler, the Jazz's imposing rookie big man, was also unavailable due to an injury.
Still, the Jazz refused to wilt and cut down the LA Lakers' 124-114 lead with just under two minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Before he became the hero who received GOAT noises from his teammates, LeBron James missed a potential point-blank layup as the game ended. Former Lakers Damian Jones and Talen Horton-Tucker challenged James at the rim, forcing him to muff the lay-in.
A loss would have complicated the Lakers' goal of getting the sixth seed and outright playoff berth. Instead, James carried them when it mattered most, allowing them to get the sixth spot and they will hope to hold on to it going forward.
LeBron James put his stamp on the game in overtime against the Utah Jazz
After the All-Star break, LeBron James told the media that the next 23 games will be the most important of his career in the regular-season. He desperately looked for other ways to avoid surgery on his right foot that would have ended his season.
On Tuesday night, especially after missing the possible game-winning layup in the fourth quarter, James showed even more urgency and aggressiveness. He opened his scoring in overtime with a 3-pointer and then drove into the lane for a dunk on the Lakers' next possession.
The drive and basket against Utah Jazz forward Ogchai Agbaji was the icing on the cake. LeBron James directed LA's offense and called out Utah's defense. The four-time champ wanted to win badly and it showed greatly in the Lakers' overtime win.
The LA Clippers, LA Lakers and Golden State Warriors have identical 41-38 records. Only the tiebreakers separate the three teams. The Lakers, who are winless against the Clippers in three years, will face their rivals on Wednesday night.
For the purple and gold team to grab an outright playoff spot, LeBron James may have to do more GOAT-worthy things.
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