LeBron James navigated more than 1,000 NBA games before garnering his first career ejection but, on Tuesday night, it finally happened. Referee Kane Fitzgerald sent James to the showers in the second half of a win over the Miami Heat and, on cue, familiar foe Enes Kanter even trolled LeBron with comments on Twitter that only he could execute.
With that as the backdrop, James was predictably prompted about his history-making actions and he wasn’t necessarily thrilled.
“I got fouled and showed my frustration to the ref.”@KingJames addresses the media after his first career ejection. #GameTime pic.twitter.com/UcMTvcjcCR
— NBA TV (@NBATV) November 29, 2017
“That particular play I got fouled all the way up the court,” James said. “From the time that I stripped him all the way till I got to the rim. That’s what it was about. I said what I had to say and I moved on, but he decided I should get two of ’em. So, it is what it is.”
While James clearly felt he had a gripe with Fitzgerald and a perceived quick trigger, the best player on the planet then launched into something of a rant when pressed about his ejection and frustration about having only one free throw attempt on 16 shots. That led him to complaining that “jump shooters” get more calls than he does and how the league seems to be trying to force him to change by the lack of calls he’s getting.
After his ejection, LeBron vented a bit about the way he's been officiated this season. Said "they" are trying to make him a jump shooter. #Cavs pic.twitter.com/mrlAO8plF3
— clevelanddotcom (@clevelanddotcom) November 29, 2017
“I think I’m one of the league leaders in points in the paint,” James said in the postgame press conference. “I drive just as much as anybody. At this point, it’s like they’re trying to turn me into a jump shooter. I can’t be a jump shooter. I’m not a jump shooter. I watch games every single night and I see jump shooters going to the line multiple, double-digit times every night. And I’m not a jump shooter and I get fouled just like everybody else do. So, you know, it’s one time going to the line. One time, three times, four times, that’s not what it’s about.”
Comments like these from James will certainly garner headlines (and with good reason) but there will be some debate as to whether he’s actually correct on the issue. On one hand, it seems impossible that James would fall outside the NBA’s top 10 in free throw attempts (he does) but, on the flip side, he isn’t always in attack mode during the regular season and that could skew things on behalf of players who operate in more of a grinding style.
In the end, LeBron James ranting about officiating is real news and everyone will have a reaction.
