LeBron James has dominated the NBA now for 20 years now and is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. The Los Angeles Lakers forward has seen countless different matchups throughout the years, but no one has been able to stop him. Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson thinks he has it figured out.
With NBA All-Star Media Day this past Saturday, the league's biggest stars took questions from media coming from all over the world. From serious basketball questions to lighthearted, āStart, Bench, Cut,' questions, All-Star weekend was a joy for any kind of basketball fan.
During his media availability ahead of NBA All-Star Saturday night, Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson was asked what lesson he's learned playing against LeBron James over the years.
āFoul him when you can,ā Jordan Clarkson started. āAnd just keep fouling til they don't call no fouls on him.ā
Jordan Clarkson on what he's learned playing against LeBron James:
"Foul him when you can. And just keep fouling til they don't call no fouls on him." š¤£
(via @TomerAzarly) pic.twitter.com/5AYb5FwCOX
ā ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 22, 2023
While it was funny, it's not necessarily untrue. The free throw line has been the weakest part of LeBron James game over the years. While James is shooting 50.5 percent from the field for his career and 34.4 percent from three, he's a career 73.5 free throw shooter. He's never shot higher than 77.1 percent from the line in his career, and even shot under 70 percent in his first three years with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The free throw line has been a struggle for James in his career, but more often than not, he's come up big when it's mattered most. The most frustrating part for James is he's shooting just 6.4 free throws per game this season, which is the 5th lowest season average of his career.
LeBron James' frustrations have boiled over multiple times this season, capped off by an absolutely blown no-call against the Boston Celtics which would've given the Lakers a big road win against the team with the NBA's best record.
LeBron James absolutely fuming that he didn't get the foul call at the end of Lakers-Celtics š³pic.twitter.com/vuTiEHEBJh
ā ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) January 29, 2023
ā[Tonight's] game was decided by the players. In Boston, the game was decided by the refs."
ā LeBron James on the difference between the Lakersā win over the Knicks and their loss to the Celtics š£ļøpic.twitter.com/G801EHecfM
ā ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 1, 2023
Jordan Clarkson played a half-season with LeBron James during the 2017-18 season, helping the Cavs reach the NBA Finals. This season, Clarkson is averaging career-highs across the board with 21.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. His 44.6 percent shooting clip is not far off his career high of 45.5 percent despite taking 17 shots per game, also a career high.
This, however, is certainly a lesson that everyone around the NBA has learned. If LeBron James is coming at you full speed, or even in the half-court, fouling him is more than likely your best option.
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