In his 18th season at age 36, LeBron James continues to make basketball look ridiculously easy, as he does what he wants, when he wants, on the NBA courts. On Tuesday night, the Lakers beat the Houston Rockets quickly and early, gaining a 21-point lead after the first quarter.
That advantage increased to 24, with just under eight minutes to go until the end of the second quarter, when LeBron decided to channel his inner Stephen Curry with a 3-point shot of the most emphatic variety.
A closer look.
And frame by frame.
We have seen Curry and other players do this from time to time, but it usually involves turning and running backwards in defense as a kind of preemptive celebration. In addition, you will usually see a player look at the basket just to make sure the ball has actually entered. LeBron never moved. He let his comrades’ reaction provide confirmation.
After the game, LeBron revealed that the genesis of the shot was actually a bet made by a teammate, Dennis Schroder, who allegedly shouted “Bet a Benjamin on it” when LeBron was about to shoot. This man placed the bet almost in the middle of the move, then turned to make the one hundred dollar bet official, looking Schroder in the eye before the damn ball even entered.
LeBron James is the next level.