Home

NBA

$5,400,000 Worth Former Lakers Teammate Discusses Becoming the Meme of the Year Amid LeBron James’ Historic Feat: “Oh Shoot That Was the Shot”

Published 08/12/2023, 2:05 PM EDT

Follow Us

USA Today via Reuters

The 2022-23 NBA season culminated in some of the most iconic moments in the league’s history. However, nothing can surpass what the world witnessed in February this year. LeBron James became the undisputed king of scoring in the NBA, breaking a 39-year-old record. He became the all-time leading scorer in the NBA, surpassing the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the process. The Chosen One had the world on its feet to witness this glorious moment, but it also came with a hilarious coincidence.

LeBron James had the world in awe of his coronation moment. He hit a fadeaway jumper over Kenrich Williams to dethrone Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time scoring leader. This shot left an indelible mark on every basketball fan’s mind. However, it also featured a hilarious mix-up. James’ former teammate on the Los Angeles Lakers was seen asking for a pass while James elevated to take the jumper. This became a hysterical meme on the internet soon. However, the NBA star recently discussed this very incident in a podcast appearance.

LeBron James’ record-breaking moment leads to a hilarious mishap

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

LeBron James has had a history of accomplishments over the course of his 20-year career. However, his unbelievable accomplishment in February this year stands out the most. His 20-year dominance in the league led up to this iconic moment in the league’s history. However, his former teammate, Thomas Bryant, did not have the fondest memories of this moment.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest NBA stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

The world knew that the night that the Lakers took on the Oklahoma City Thunder was dedicated to James breaking the historical record. The players and the opponents seemed to be well aware of this situation that day. However, Thomas Bryant had a moment of absent-mindedness. With just two points away from surpassing Abdul-Jabbar’s record, James faded away to take a jump shot. However, unaware of the situation, Bryant urged James to pass the rock to him, being wide open under the rim. This immediately made an image of Bryant asking for the ball an internet sensation.

The image of Thomas Bryant requesting a pass became the meme of the year sooner than later. The fans took to the internet to troll the 26-year-old for his actions. His moment of absent-mindedness became the cause of ridicule. However, Bryant recently opened up about this incident, sharing his side of the story.

Bryant shares his side of the story

Thomas Bryant recently graced the former Washington Wizards guard, Gilbert Arenas’ podcast. During his appearance on the podcast, the current $5.4M worth Miami Heat center shared his side of the historic moment.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

We run through that same play in practice and whenever Bron sees me on the wing, he always tells me to cut…get a big target, get an easy point…so whenever he got there, I was running down but every time since it got to 12 points, I’m trying to look up….all I was doing was everything they were telling me to do.” said Bryant, explaining why he asked for the ball at that particular moment.

He further added, “And then when he shot it I’m like, wait everybody camera, oh shoot that was the shot, oh yeah! So it was kind of a super surreal moment but; I didn’t even recognize it till it actually happened and I was like oh shoot they got me on a meme now“.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Bryant shared his side of the hilarious incident during James’ shot at history. However, this never took away the limelight from James’ achievement. James held the world witness to his phenomenal achievement, ascending the throne of scoring in his 20th year in the NBA.

WATCH THIS STORY: LeBron James and Michael Jordan’s 2 Astonishing Feats in Peril as 30YO Star Inks Richest NBA Annual Contract

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Sachit Kaundinya

360Articles

One take at a time

Sachit is an NBA content writer at EssentiallySports. He has been following the NBA for several years and is deeply passionate about the sport and it’s strategic aspects. Combining his passion and desire to stay connected with basketball, Sachit pursued a writing career.
Show More>

Edited by:

Saumya Khanduja