Lakers News: LeBron James Rails Against Critical Ref 3-Pointer Decision

Just an inexplicable call.

Your Los Angeles Lakers' 108-106 loss at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves was marred by one crucial call: a LeBron James three-pointer that was ruled a two-pointer. 

Here's a look at the controversial call that ultimately led to a LeBron James three-point make being ruled a two-point basket, leading to the Lakers trailing by a single point, instead of tying the game with 2.3 seconds left:

LeBron James : 26 points on 10-21 shooting, 1-4 from 3, 5-7 from the FT line, 6 assists & 3 steals in 39 minutes (Made what was initially the game-tying 3 with 2.3 seconds left but the refs ruled it as a 2-point shot via instant replay) pic.twitter.com/yAUAjlpzoZ

— Lee Harvey (@MusikFan4Life) December 31, 2023

James, among others, had incredibly vile reactions to the officiating decision. It seemed as though the original call of it being a 2-point shot made no sense, as the ref had a good look at James clearly being behind the line.

The original call that is made ends up holding a lot of weight, as in order to override it, referees must see "clear and conclusive" evidence that suggests that the original call was incorrect. However, with such a heavy burden being placed, calls aren't overturned as often as they probably should be. 

Here's how LeBron reacted to the controversial call that now leaves LA 17-16 on the season:

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LeBron James:

"It's obviously a three. My foot was behind the line... Stevie Wonder could see that, champ... Someone over there with a ham sandwich made the call." pic.twitter.com/Bi8wTMz7cf

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) December 31, 2023