LeBron James went out of his way in Sunday’s win against the Mavericks to let Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes know that he wasn’t the only one playing through pain. He and Mahomes shared a courtside moment that left the quarterback speechless.
What Was Said By James?
James took the ball out on the sidelines near the courtside seats of Mahomes, his wife, and other acquaintances in their party. He then turned to Mahomes and smiled before he made his comment.
“You’re not the only one playing with a f***** up ankle. But nah, nah it makes you better, right?” James said with a smile.
Mahomes was spotted in the video with a smile on his face, but also with an awkward look. He didn’t respond to the comment and just continued to laugh it off. The background for LeBron’s quip is both athletes have been dealing with ankle injuries.
Mahomes injured his right ankle in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs against the Jaguars. He went on to lead the Chiefs to their second Super Bowl win in a three-year span. He also won his second Super Bowl MVP all while playing on a bad ankle for several weeks.
James has done the same thing this season for the Lakers. He is averaging 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game this season. It is unclear when the injury exactly took place, but he sprained his left ankle sometime in late November.
James also probably jinxed himself in that moment as well. He rolled his right ankle on a drive to the basket later on the third quarter and now it is reported that he may miss several weeks due to the injury. He did finish the Mavericks game and help the Lakers secure a much-needed win.
Other Awkward LeBron Moments
James has been in the national spotlight since he was in high school. So, naturally he is going to have moments that he slips up and gets caught on camera doing something out of the ordinary. Fans spotlighted these awkward moments and called him out.
Migos
After the slaying of Takeoff, who was one third of the rap group Migos, in November, James and other celebrities shared their favorite moments about the beloved rapper. He went to the extreme and said that he remembered playing Migos music in 2010. Fans called him out for lying because the group didn’t catch their big break until 2013 when their hit song “Versace” blew up.
Goggles
In a 2021 matchup against the Magic, he took time to put on Wendell Carter Jr.’s goggles after he was fouled so hard that his goggles fell onto the floor.
81-Point Prediction
Fans also noticed James said in a old interview that he predicted Kobe Bryant’s 81 point performance before it happened.
“Before the game even started I said he was probably going to score 70 tonight. I don’t know what made me say that but my friends were with me and was just like ‘OK’. When he got to 70, ‘I was like ‘he might as well go for 80 now’,” said James.
Malcolm X Book
Last but not least, James was called out again for not being able to give any insight on the things he had read in “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” book. The questions were sparked from a reporter that noticed James holding the book while at a press conference.
