LeBron James takes referee controversy public after smack from Kawhi Leonard

After the game, LeBron James takes to Instagram stories to call out officials for overturning a foul on Kawhi Leonard

LeBron James takes referee controversy public after smack from Kawhi Leonard

LeBron James vent out on Instagram about the controversial call

After beating the other LA team, aka the Clippers, LeBron James took to social media to express his frustration with a controversial call. During the fourth quarter, the 40-year-old took a strong hit from an old adversary, Kawhi Leonard, during an inbound pass. The referees initially ruled it as a defensive foul; but the Clippers challenged the call and had it overturned, which infuriated most die-hard Lakers fans.

Although James’ contribution turned out to be pivotal in the Lakers’ 106-102 victory at home, it looks like he needed to vent afterward. Post-game, James posted a snap of himself getting slammed across the face by the Klaw, with a two-word response on his Instagram story. Clearly, James is still salty over the reversed call. Here’s what the enraged King wrote:

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Marginal huh !?!?

LeBron James via Instagram stories

Nonetheless, it was a historic night for the King. LBJ scored 28 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the field. On top of that, he grabbed 12 boards, providing LA with the length they lack since AD’s departure. Today, he became the first 40-year-old NBA athlete to average over 25+ points for a whole month, i.e., February.

Plus, it was a twice-as-special moment for the LA Lakers’ new face, Luka Doncic, who turned 26 on Friday. On his birthday, he assaulted the Clippers’ defense with a 31-point barrage. Furthermore, the Slovenian sniper also recorded 5 assists, 2 rebounds, and 3 strips.

LeBron James doubles down on his commitment to positively pushing the game forward

After the game, James gave an on-court interview to ESPN’s SportsCenter. While talking to host Scott Van Pelt, the King expanded on his previous comments about being the face of the league, stating that his generation and the next one are playing the game the right way and doing their part to carry the torch forward. So, maybe it’s time for the media to also start appreciating the beloved game. James also beautifully described wating basketball to “listening to music—jazz, R&B, rap, heavy metal—everything. It’s all in the game.”

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We’ve always given respect and props to the generation that came before us. We know that without them, there would be no us. We’re just trying to carry on that tradition—me, Steph, KD, Russ, James, Kawhi, and the rest of our crew. And now, the younger generation is doing their thing as well. We love what we do, and it’s our responsibility to push the game forward in a positive way for fans all over America and the world.

LeBron James tweeted

Recently, the 40-year-old rose to 5th place in the MVP race. This is a phenomenal feat, considering that he’s been doing it for 22 years now. Day in and day out, the 4x MVP has done his part to promote the game he grew up watching and falling in love with. So, it will be hard to argue that LeBron James isn’t fulfilling his role as the “face of the NBA.”