Watch: LeBron James gives thumbs down to Bam Adebayo as the latter fouls out during LA Lakers vs Miami Heat
LeBron James is completely capable of having fun in the middle of a competitive matchup with an opponent. The 37-year-old superstar had a lighter moment even as the LA Lakers tried their best to produce a comeback victory against the Miami Heat on Sunday night.
Although the Lakers ultimately lost 107-113 to the hosts, LeBron's late-game antics will surely be discussed on social media for some time to come.
The episode happened late in the fourth quarter of the contest between the Lakers and the Heat. The Lakers clawed their way back into the matchup after trailing by as many as 23 points (70-93) with about 10 minutes left to play.
The visitors had made it a two-possession game (105-11) with 1:37 left in the game. As Jimmy Butler brought the ball up the floor for the Heat, Bam Adebayo rolled to the basket with the smaller Avery Bradley switching onto the Heat big man.
As Adebayo received the ball from Butler close to the basket, he powered past Bradley to finish with a two-handed dunk. But the basket was overruled since Adebayo was called for an offensive foul for muscling his way past Bradley. It was Adebayo's sixth foul of the game and he had to leave the contest with 1:25 still left to play.
With a dejected Adebayo making his way back to the Miami bench, LeBron James made the best of the moment. The 17-time All-Star raised his hands to signal Adebayo's sixth personal foul. LeBron held up five fingers on his right hand and the thumb on his left hand to signal to the Miami fans that Adebayo had fouled out.
He then turned right and slowly turned the thumb on his left hand downwards to possibly indicate what he thought of Adebayo fouling out at such a crucial juncture in the game. You can watch the moment here:
Bam fouled out and LeBron gave him the thumbs down 👎 😂 https://t.co/ZFajQRXvhB
LeBron James scores 33 points as LA Lakers go below 0.500 again
The LA Lakers, unfortunately, could not produce a comeback victory. They lost 107-113 to drop to a 23-24 record for the regular season. LeBron James finished with a double-double as he finished with 33 points on 12-of-22 shooting (54.5%) and 11 rebounds. It was LeBron's 21st 30-point game of the season and his 13th such outing in the last 17 games.
Brooklyn
✈️ Brooklyn https://t.co/rBkXLjGkXF
The Lakers continue their six-game road trip with a visit to Brooklyn on Tuesday night. They play Philadelphia, Charlotte and Atlanta after that to complete their six-game tour of Eastern Conference teams.