(CNN) — For an NBA great like LeBron James, there are small moments on the court that define his greatness as much as any statistic.
James enjoyed that moment on Saturday in the LA Lakers’ 107-97 victory over the Houston Rockets, when he ran over the defense and made an incredible 360 inverted basket, before falling to the ground where he lost track of the ball.
But “the fans let me know I did it,” he later told reporters. “And then my teammates, running down the court or what they did there, they let me watch it on the Jumbrotron (screen) because it stopped the game because of the technique.”
As the team celebrated wildly along with the crowd, some even putting their hands to their heads in disbelief, Christian Wood was given a technical for jumping onto the court from the bench in his excitement.
Social media also exploded with disbelief and astonishment; one user called him an “artist”, others described him as “unreal” or “crazy”. As of Sunday morning, the moment had received more than 1.2 million views on the NBA’s X account alone, formerly Twitter.
But despite all the disbelief, there was a sense of conformity to normality. After all, even at almost 39 years old and in his 21st NBA season, LeBron is still LeBron, and his on-court presence is still capable of transforming games and generating headlines.
And like the true greats, he can transform his image on the court through moments like this, revealing himself as LeBron the icon with all his brilliant accomplishments, as well as simply LeBron the player.
LeBron James controls the ball against Dillon Brooks of the Houston Rockets in the first quarter. (Ronald Martínez/Getty Images)
“That’s up to par, that’s what you expect from him,” coach Darvin Ham told reporters afterward. “But the most impressive thing is at what stage of his career he is doing it. He seems like he is breaking barriers every day.”
James added 16 points and seven assists, while Anthony Davis added 27 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Lakers to victory.
“It was a crazy shot,” Davis said. “At this point in his career, he’s done everything he’s literally just going out there, trying things and seeing what works.”
James was later involved in a tense encounter with Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, who was later ejected.
2023-12-03 22:12:00
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