“Man I don’t know what I was even doing” - LeBron James after friend commends him for athletic dunk against Dallas Mavericks
LeBron James helped the LA Lakers defeat the Dallas Mavericks 107-104 in overtime on Wednesday night. Austin Reaves was the hero for the Lakers after hitting the game-winning three-point shot with 0.9 seconds left on the clock. However, one particular play by James stood out in the third quarter and the Lakers superstar had no explanation for it.
With 5:04 left in the third, James was fouled by Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber near the three-point line. The King continued the play and dropped an acrobatic dunk that did not count. James looked like he was going for a layup but stopped midair and decided to dunk the basketball.
Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy, who were calling the game, were amazed by the dunk. What made the dunk even more impressive is the fact that Hames is almost 37 years old. He will officially turn 37 on December 30th.
Romeo Travis, a teammate of LeBron at St. Vincent-St.Mary High School, was stunned by James' dunk. Travis, who played years of pro ball overseas, shared the video on his Instagram and told James to quit playing at his age.
LeBron James went on to reshare Travis' post on his Instagram account, revealing he had no idea how he performed the dunk. James posted:
"MAN I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING"
That wasn't the only play in the game involving LeBron James that had a lot of people talking. James was called for goaltending on Jalen Brunson's shot with 7:20 left in the first quarter. The block appeared clean, but what was most impressive was James' vertical leap, which showcased the Lakers forward's athleticism at the age of 36.
LeBron James got UP for this block attempt ⬆️🚫
https://t.co/vgdwjmyNz3
LeBron James helps LA Lakers defeat Dallas Mavericks for their 16th win of the season
The LA Lakers improved their record to 16-13 after their 107-104 overtime win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. LeBron James led the Lakers with 24 points, three rebounds and five assists.
Russell Westbrook had a near triple-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, while Anthony Davis added 20 points and 12 rebounds. But it was rookie guard Austin Reaves who emerged as the Lakers' hero with a game-winning three-point shot.
Reaves' winner gave the Lakers an important victory. He finished the game with 15 points, seven rebounds and two assists in 32 minutes. The 23-year-old undrafted rookie was splashed with water by LeBron James and his Lakers teammates as a part of the celebration at the end of the game.
AUSTIN REAVES WINS IT FOR THE LAKERS IN OT 😱 https://t.co/Ve55NKRdrN
The game winner was Reaves' fifth three-point shot of the game. It was the only basket by a Lakers player not named LeBron James, Anthony Davis or Russell Westbrook in overtime. The Lakers had a lot of trust in Reaves, who justified his selection by making the perfect shot at a crucial juncture in the game.
The Lakers have now won three straight games and are ranked sixth in the Western Conference. They will head to Minnesota and Chicago before returning home to the newly-named Crypto.com Arena for a match against the Phoenix Suns.