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What Is a Clear Path Violation? LeBron James Getting Hacked by Magic Raises Question on Soccer-Like Foul

Published 10/31/2023, 1:27 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

After the disappointing loss against the Sacramento Kings, the Los Angeles Lakers have a new challenge ahead of them. The Orlando Magic produced an absolute nightmare for LeBron James and his men during the Monday night event. The Magic kept the lead forward throughout the game and restricted the Lakers’ offense on the other end. However, a particular soccer-like foul kept the fans intrigued, and the Orlando side opted to restrict King James. 

Even though the Lakers went on to win the game with a close 106-103 win, that particular move, which received a ‘Clear Path Violation’ foul, attracted a lot of attention on social media. Let’s find out more about it.

What is a Clear Path Violation?

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This foul is committed by the defending side when they foul the offensive player on purpose, who is on a fast break and about to drop an easy bucket. The refs blow the whistle to call the foul and offer two free throws along with the additional ball possession.

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During the Monday night game, LeBron James faced a similar foul when the Magic defenders created a soccer-like defense to restrict his easy bucket. However, the refs called the foul and offered two free throws to James along with possession.

Despite the strong defense from the Magic, the Lakers came out on top with their clutch performance in the end. On the other hand, LeBron James and foul calls go hand in hand when it comes to clutch moments.

LeBron James Stats: How Has The King Fared in 20 Years Apart From His Debut Rematch Against The Kings?

Notably, King James pleading to a referee in a regular season game against Boston Celtics in the last season has a huge fan base.

Infamously animated James

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LeBron James is not one to usually wear his emotion on his sleeve, especially on the basketball court, but even The King is prone to rare outbursts. The best example is last season’s game at the Celtics. With 4 seconds left on the clock and scores tied at 105, LeBron James drove down the paint against three Celtics defenders for a layup and missed it. After the game clock buzzed out, King James can be seen pleading and falling to his knee in disappointment as refs failed to call the foul. Seconds later, the replay showed a clear foul made by Jayson Tatum, leaving the audience to gasp in unison.

Following that, Tatum can be seen walking to the bench with a smirk on his face. Meanwhile, Patrick Beverly reached out to the refs with a camera in his hand and immediately slapped him with a tech.

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Watch This Story – “Still Trying to Figure it Out”: Anthony Davis Divulges on Getting Adjusted to “New Faces” on Lakers After Suffering 2nd Road Loss

What do you make of the Clear Path Violation rule? Is it wrong for the defenders to restrict an easy bucket? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Shahul Hameed

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Shahul Hameed is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports, where he brings his passion for sports and entertainment journalism to life. With a Master's Degree in journalism from a reputed institute and years of experience in the industry, Shahul always strives to provide insightful and astute coverage of the NBA to the fans. Shahul's love for sports writing dates back to his college days.
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Edited by:

Sameen Nawathe