SUMMARY
- During the end of the fourth quarter, with under 5 seconds left, the Lakers were in possession when LeBron James made a three-pointer.
- The referee in charge, Tony Brothers ruled it as a two-pointer thus bringing the score to 106-107.
LeBron James has dealt with a fair share of controversial calls in 21 seasons of his illustrious career. He has missed some crucial plays at certain career points because of poor officiating. However, this season isn’t the best time for the Los Angeles Lakers to be facing such calls especially since their biggest objective now is to win. Unfortunately, fate is sometimes out of their control, and this is exactly what happened against the Minnesota Timberwolves last night.
During the end of the fourth quarter, with under 5 seconds left, the Lakers were in possession when James attempted and nailed a three-pointer. The score was at 104-107 in favor of the Wolves. The King’s shot would have tied the game. However, the referee in charge ruled it as a two-pointer thus bringing the score to 106-107. The Lakers wound up fouling the Wolves to get a stop in the next play. Anthony Edwards made one free-throw out of two attempts and the Wolves were awarded the victory.
LeBron James was not happy about the play as there was clear evidence of his shot being a three-pointer. During a locker room interview, he said, “It’s obviously a 3. My foot was behind the line. You could see the space between my foot and the 3-point line. You can clearly see the wood on the floor. Stevie Wonder could see that, champ.”
The referee responsible for the official ruling was Tony Brothers. He already has a nasty reputation amongst players and fans. James added, “I didn’t talk to Tony Brothers, I talked to the other ref and they said it was out of their hands… Someone over there with a ham sandwich made the call.” LeBron definitely did his analysis before sharing his opinion.
Referee Tony Brothers responded to ruling LeBron James’ game-winner as a two-pointer
Tony Brothers ended up giving an official statement in a pool report after the game. He said, “The play was ruled a two-point field goal on the floor during live play. After video review, there wasn’t clear and conclusive evidence to overturn it from a two to a three, and that’s why it stood as a two-point field goal.”
Referees called LeBron’s game tying three a 2-pointer.
Wow. (via @mcten) pic.twitter.com/qWYqwEO18n
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) December 31, 2023
In the video replay, it is evident that there was a gap between LeBron James’ foot and the three-point line. However, Brothers claimed there wasn’t enough evidence to rule it as a three-pointer. James and Brothers have had their fair share of run-ins. This will certainly be a moment that the 4x NBA Champion will hold a grudge against for a while.
