LeBron James is set to play in his 23rd season in 2025-26, which will break a tie with Vince Carter to set an NBA record. The four-time NBA MVP has proven to have one of the best basketball IQ’s of all-time, often breaking down plays without needing to watch footage.
He did that, once again, on the “Mind the Game” podcast, when co-host Steve Nash asked about the most egregious travel he has gotten away with.
“The basketball Gods were not on my side,” Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James stated Tuesday. “The one that comes to mind right now, it was my second stint with Cleveland playing in Washington and we were down one. I got the ball in transition about half-court and I was driving the lane — it’s late in the game. I was driving the lane and I got into the lane and I traveled like a mother(expletive). And I go all the way to the lane and missed the layup.”
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“They did not call the travel, I blew the layup,” James continued. “I don’t know if I felt guilty, it felt, I was thinking, ‘what are you doing?’ I had a wide open layup and missed it. It’s the same game where I ended up tying it, hitting that three-pointer off the glass. After they made two free-throws and then I hit the (three). (The basketball Gods) came back around because I’m true to the game. I missed it. If I would have made it, we’d probably have lost the game. We found a way in. Basketball Gods stayed with me a little bit.”
While James was able to overcome the missed layup and lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to overtime, he fouled out early in the extra frame. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were able to lead Cleveland to victory, however, combining to score or assist on all 20 of their overtime points.
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