LeBron James had a request for his team's coach, Michael Malone, despite trailing by 13 points in Sunday's 2019 All-Star Game — to leave the locker room so he could watch North Carolina native J. Cole perform along with his teammates.
Malone approved the request, conditionally, bartering the opportunity to watch the rapper perform if his team showed some effort in transition:
“I said you can watch the concert if you get your ass back in transition in the second half,” said Malone, according to Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated.
The gambit worked as intended, as Team LeBron put up 50 points in the third quarter and limited Team Giannis to 36, grabbing a one-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
The King's All-Star team wouldn't let up in the fourth, grabbing another handy 13-point advantage in the final period to grab a second consecutive win during these February festivities.
Asked if there was a reason for mounting such a furious comeback in the second half, James noted it was just his competitive nature taking over:
“When I'm out on the floor I love to compete, no matter what it is,” said LeBron James. “I was competing to see if I can get to this table first.”
LeBron was asked why he got a little more competitive in the second half. He said that's what he does. "I was competing to see if I can get to this table first." pic.twitter.com/yHqFJyeawG
— Rod Boone (@rodboone) February 18, 2019
Team LeBron mounted a rabid assault after going down 53-37 in the first quarter, outscoring Team Giannis 141-111 in the last three quarters and showing why his team was the favorite coming into All-Star Weekend.
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