LeBron James' hit from Rui Hachimura sparks wild reactions from fans: "Flopping against your own teammate is wild"
In a thrilling face-off against the San Antonio Spurs, Lakers’ star LeBron James found himself in an unexpected predicament. The game, which saw the Lakers claw their way to a 129-115 victory from a 25-point deficit, was marred by an unfortunate incident.
LeBron James, who had just returned from a one-game hiatus, was inadvertently struck by his teammate Rui Hachimura, leaving the Lakers to battle without some of their key players ,including Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Cam Reddish.
The incident occurred amidst a heated rebound scramble, with players from both teams vying for control. Hachimura, the 25-year-old power forward, accidentally hit LeBron James in the face, causing the four-time MVP to take a moment on the court floor. This marked the third time in the game that the 38-year-old James had been hit in the face, the previous instances being hits from Spurs’ players.
LeBron James getting hit in the face drew major reactions
The game entered a hiatus as LeBron took a moment to get over the blow, and the reactions to the incident created a major debate on the severity of the whole incident.
The X(Formerly Twitter) comment from Farbod Esnaashari, the writer for Sports Illustrated, was made on the image of the incident tweeted by CluthcPoints' account. His comment reads:
"Flopping against your own teammate is wild."
A fan named Zay wrote supporting Bron, suggesting he doesn't deserve the hate he is getting.
Another fan commented trying to cheer up the King, LeBron James and showering love.
However, another fan speculated that this was not the first time LeBron got a blow to his face.
And some of the other comments seemed to support the Lakers' power forward and voiced against the booing.
Despite the setbacks, James’ resilience shone through. He not only stayed in the game but also sparked a remarkable comeback, recording a career-high tying nine assists in the second quarter.
Even as the Spurs attempted to regain their lead, James’ near triple-double performance, with 23 points, 12 assists, and seven rebounds, kept the Lakers in the fight.
This feat is all the more impressive considering that the Ohio-born star has been grappling with a persistent calf injury, sidelining him for two matches this season.