LeBron James had a fantastic 2021-22 NBA season in terms of personal statistics, but he wasn’t able to help the Los Angeles Lakers achieve their goal of getting to the playoffs.
Therefore, James took part in his exit interview with members of the media on Monday. During that time, James offered some interesting comments about his stint with the Miami Heat.
He took a trip down memory lane, remembering a time when he did get favorable foul calls.
“I used to be up there, pre-Miami,” he said with a broad grin. “Pre-Miami, I was in the leaderboard for free-throw attempts. I think when I went there — to hell with you.”
As it turns out, James feels as though he has not been given the foul calls he deserves. He mentioned that he is going to try to figure out why he doesn’t get calls as often as many of his superstar counterparts do.
James is far from the first superstar in the NBA to claim that he doesn’t get all the calls that he deserves, and he surely won’t be the last.
When looking at his incredible career, it becomes clear that James’ iconic memory has served him well with his claim. In the four years before he joined the Heat, James averaged 9.7 free-throw attempts per game. Since then, he’s experienced a gradual decline.
Since his first season with the Heat, he’s averaged 7.0 free-throw attempts per game. In his four seasons with the Lakers, he’s averaged just 6.2 attempts per game.
It will be fascinating to see if James can indeed figure out a way to draw more fouls next season. If he does, it will be just another testament to his incredible work ethic and basketball IQ.