LeBron James and the LA Lakers were taking on the Boston Celtics Saturday night, and during the game there was one play in particular that got fans all riled up.
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That is, the NBA's all-time leading scorer received heavy criticism from viewers at home, who felt he pretended to be hit in the face on a 4th-quarter drive to the basket by Celtics' Jayson Tatum.
The viral video of LeBron seemingly flopping was posted on X, and incited many reactions from fans.
Best actor in LA: LeBron James pic.twitter.com/so7QvDUxUp
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) March 9, 2025
While captioning, "Best actor in LA: LeBron James," a user further commented on X, "He's perfected this move since playing in Hollywood. Impressive acting."
Among those presumably expressing sarcasm, one fan added, "This acting deserves an 'Academy Award.' No man can flop better than Lebron."
Jayson Tatum with the HARD foul on LeBron. 😳 pic.twitter.com/PZjW7DQsi1
— NBACentel (@TheNBACentel) March 9, 2025
Another wrote, "He wasn't acting this good in Space Jam 2. I thought he got shot."
However, some LeBron fans pointed out that Tatum's elbow may have grazed his chin, upon a zoomed in slow-mo replay.
LeBron haters don't have any critical thinking skills. They just hate
You can literally see him get hit. You can see his head move. You can see his mouth go from open to closed from his elbow. Only lebron can get elbowed in the face and people say he flopped https://t.co/i9ZNAc5t6T pic.twitter.com/jvKwpluYzK
— Shane (@Shane00) March 9, 2025
A few minutes after the flop occurred, the 22-year veteran superstar did leave the game (111-102 loss) early with a groin injury, that has since been diagnosed as a "Grade 1 sprain."
Lebron probably injured his groin on this exaggerated flop.
— John Ta (@johnjohnta) March 9, 2025
Reportedly, LeBron, 40, will miss 1-2 weeks as he looks to get back on the court soon, in order to be healthy for the final stretch of the season, with the 40-22 Lakers poised to make a deep playoff run this year.
In view of the fans telling LeBron to retire and go into acting full-time, he certainly has experience appearing in a list of notable Hollywood films, which include: Trainwreck, House Party, and a star role in Space Jam 2.
That is to say, if anyone has seen those films, it's evident LeBron's God-given talent is definitely basketball.
Related: LeBron James Speaks On Latest Groin Injury Diagnosis And Timetable For Return