LEBRON JAMES fell just short of a win on his birthday.
The King celebrated his 39th birthday on Saturday, capping the night off with a controversial defeat against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
3LeBron James pulled up for a game-tying 3-pointer with less than five seconds remainingCredit: Twitter/BleacherReport
3The basket was good, but his foot was on the line, per the officials, meaning it was a 2-pointerCredit: Twitter/BleacherReport
3LeBron took to Instagram to post a zoomed-in version of the photoCredit: Instagram/kingjames
LeBron led the Los Angeles Lakers into Minnesota to face the Western Conference’s top team, finishing the night with 26 points.
On his last shot, with a chance to tie the game down three, the NBA’s all-time points leader raced down the floor off a missed Timberwolves free throw and sank what looked like the game-tying 3-pointer.
However, upon further review, referees called the shot a 2-pointer, meaning the Lakers were down by a point, 107-106, with 2.3 seconds remaining.
Looking at the replay, it seemed as if LeBron’s shoe was behind the 3-point line, but officials thought otherwise.
Instead of a potential overtime, the Lakers lost 108-106.
After the game, the future Hall of Famer sounded off.
“It’s obviously a three. My foot was behind the line,” LeBron said.
“You could see the space between the front of my foot and the 3-point line.”
Comically, he joked blind Grammy Award winner Stevie Wonder could’ve even made the right call.
“Stevie Wonder could see that, champ,” he said.
“In the replay center, somebody eating a ham sandwich made the call.”
Unhappy with the night, the legend concluded by questioning the point of the replay center.
“What’s the point of having replay if even the replay gets it wrong?” LeBron asked.
In his defense, LeBron took to Instagram, posting a picture of his foot appearing behind the line.
“Sooooooooooooooo!!!!! WTF. Helluva Happy Bday gift to me,” he captioned the social media post.
The Lakers are now 17-16, the ninth seed in the West.
LeBron is averaging career bests for any player aged 39, though, scoring 25 points a game, rebounding 7.5 shots, and putting up 7.4 assists.