The Los Angeles Lakers took down the Phoenix Suns in a close match to move on to Las Vegas to play in the semi-finals of the in-season tournament. Although the win should have been a cause for celebration, fans were quick to call out the referees for a controversial call they made in the final minute that gave the Lakers an advantage against the Suns.

According to a three-time 6th man of the year winner, the only reason the Lakers got this call is because LeBron James was on the court at that time.

LeBron James commands respect from the referees

In a recent episode of Run It Back, Danny Green and Lou Williams talked about the recent in-season game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns. The game was close the whole time. But towards the end, as the Lakers were leading and in possession of the ball, the Suns almost got a steal from Austin Reeves.

Surprisingly, LeBron called a timeout, and the referees gave the ball to the Lakers, even though it is not fully sure if the Lakers were still in possession of the ball when the timeout was called.

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Williams said, “I think a lot of guys don’t get this call if they’re not LeBron [James],” and Danny Green agreed to it. LeBron James has an immeasurable presence on the court. This is why, even though he was not in the play, the referees granted the Lakers a timeout when James called for it.

Did the referees make the right call?

Although the live footage made it seem like no one had the ball, if the referees had gone for a replay, then the ball would have still been given to the replay.

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This is because after the match was over, new footage came out where Booker unintentionally landed a heel kick to the ball as it was rolling away, which could have been called a kickball violation. But in the end, the magnitude of the call cannot be determined. The Lakers were up when the timeout was given, and they walked out with the win at the end.

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Do you think the referees made the right call? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!