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Los Angeles Lakers’ superstar LeBron James mimicked Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry after he looked away while draining a 3-pointer in a 117-100 win against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night. In an interview after the game, James explained why he made the shot and how Curry influenced him.
James Shouts Out Curry
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LeBron James led the team in scoring as he finished the game with 26 points in the Lakers’ win over the Rockets. During the game, James did something a little out of the ordinary for him. Taking a page from Curry’s playbook, the All-Star traveled to the corner and took a three. After it left his hands, he turned and looked at his bench, just like Curry would.
In an interview with reporters after the game, Lebron revealed why he made the bold move. It was the result of a bet that he had made with Dennis Schroder. While explaining the bet, he also brought up Curry and his ability to make these shots on a normal basis.
“Steph [has] definitely probably done it the most in our league, and when you shoot the ball as beautiful and effortlessly and precisely as Steph does, he has the ultimate, ultra-green light to do that,” James said per ESPN’s Twitter. “Cause 10 times out of nine, it’s going in for Steph.”
The Friendly Wager
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LeBron James made a huge play on Tuesday night that erupted the league. After catching a lob in the corner right in front of the Lakers’ bench, he used a pump fake which allowed him to line up a 3-pointer. As he was taking the shot, his teammate made a friendly wager from the bench behind him.
In the interview, James also spoke about the wager he made with Schroder, who didn’t think that James would take the shot. James explained that he took the bet while he was taking the shot and turned around and looked Schroder in the eye to make it official.
“I told him to bet a Benjamin on it, so he shot it,” Schroder said per Dave McMenamin on Twitter. “Shot it and turned around and said, ‘Bet.’ Then, it went in. It’s just legendary.”
The Lakers’ bench erupted after James made the shot with a few of his teammates chasing him down the court as the game progressed. In a sport where players are normally taught to follow their shot, it’s not something that you see too often.
James proved that just like Curry, he can make those difficult shots. However, he won’t be attempting as much as Curry. The Lakers now have a 10-3 record and are living up to everyone’s expectations fresh off of an NBA title.
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