Kobe Bryant: Side-By-Side Video Compares LeBron James’ Perfect ‘Fade Away’ Tribute to Lakers Icon

Sunday afternoon, LeBron James made a fadeaway jump shot with 25 seconds remaining in a game against the Boston Celtics. This play gave the Los Angeles Lakers a late lead and helped them secure a 114-112 victory. The fans were excited, but they were far more focused on the similarities between this shot and another iconic fadeaway.

As many fans pointed out on Twitter, this fadeaway jumper to help the Lakers defeat the rival Boston Celtics was eerily similar to Bryant’s shots throughout his career.

“LeBron hitting a Kobe-esque fadeaway dagger against the Celtics at Staples Center one day before the Kobe memorial. It’s just all so perfect,” one fan commented on Twitter. Others showed their excitement for the play while talking about how James was paying tribute to his friend. One fan even guessed that James had yelled “Kobe” after making the shot.

James finished the game with 29 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds while helping his team defeat a bitter rival. Teammate Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 32 points, 13 rebounds, and three assists.

James posted an edited version of the fadeaway on Instagram following Sunday’s victory. In his version, the Lakers star captioned the brief clip with “Kobe” in reference to the late NBA icon. He also wrote “824,” a reference to the two jersey numbers that Bryant wore during his career with the Lakers, and “I just fade away.”

This is not the first time that James has drawn attention after recreating one of Bryant’s iconic plays. He also did something similar in early February. James caught a pass from teammate Avery Bradley on a fast break and was all alone en route to the basket.

With no one to prevent a big play, James went up and used a reverse windmill dunk. This was a perfect recreation of the same dunk that Bryant used against the Los Angeles Clippers 19 years ago.

“I don’t know, I didn’t really predetermine that until I jumped,” James said about his dunk. “I just jumped and then kinda figured it out. It’s crazy how it was the same exact dunk in the same exact hoop that Kobe did, except for 19 years or something like that.”

Following Bryant’s death in a helicopter crash, James has found multiple ways to pay tribute to his friend. The slam dunk and the fadeaway jumper are both examples. The fans are hoping that the next tribute will be winning a championship.

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