LeBron James Draws Attention for Season-Opening 'Flop'

With the NBA season starting on Tuesday night, the attention of basketball fans was focused on [...]

By John Newby

With the NBA season starting on Tuesday night, the attention of basketball fans was focused on finding the potential contenders for the Finals. Over in Los Angeles, the Lakers and the Clippers were battling for dominance of the City of Angels, which put LeBron James in the spotlight once again. He responded by pulling off what many viewed as the early favorite for "Flop of the Year."

With 10 minutes remaining in the second period and a four-point lead, James jumped up and tried to tap the basketball into the hoop for another two points. However, the shot was unsuccessful. He was about to jump up and try again when JaMychal Green of the Clippers gave him a slight push in the ribs. Instead of moving slightly to the side, James instead allegedly leaped sideways and slid into the base of the hoop in hopes of drawing a foul.

As expected, critics headed to social media to discuss how there was literally no evidence that Green's push would have given James that momentum.

The Clippers ultimately won this opening battle of LA, taking down the Los Angeles Lakers 112-102. James went 7-19 on field goals, 1-5 on three-point shots, and 3-4 on free throws.

Throughout his career, "King James" has been viewed as a player that tends to flop when given the chance. There have been multiple video compilations that show the alleged flops in great detail, including one that ranked the top-10 from James' career. Additionally, Rhett Allain once did an entire article for Wired in pursuit of determining if physics made one specific flop possible.

James has long been viewed as one of the best players in NBA history, and for good reason. The three-time champion has helped both the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers finish the season in the best way possible, and now he is attempting to repeat this feat with the Lakers.

Obviously, the 2018-19 season did not pan out as well as James initially expected. The Lakers finished with a 37-45 record and saw Magic Johnson suddenly resign from his job as president of basketball operations in April. LA missed out on the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year, but now the hope is rising once again.

With newcomer Anthony Davis joining James on the roster, the belief is that this team can contend once again. Although the early loss and the alleged flop in primetime put a different spin on opening day.

Photo Credit: Harry How/Getty

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