Monday, February 27th, 2012 at 11:00 am  |  142 responses

LeBron James Regrets Not Taking Last Shot in All-Star Game


by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

Widely considered as the best player in the game, but having never won a championship, even an otherwise meaningless contest such as the NBA All-Star Game serves as some kind of referendum on your legacy.

Welcome to LeBron James’ life.

James coughed up the rock in the dying moments last night, his turnover ensuring a last-second victory for the East All-Stars, and everyone – fans, media, and even rivals on the court – wondered why LeBron didn’t hoist up a three-point attempt to tie the game.

According to LBJ, he screwed up the game’s final possession.

From the Akron Beacon Journal:

LeBron on final seconds of All-Star game: “(Kobe) was telling me to shoot it. I seen my teammate open for a split second. I seen him open the first time and I didn’t release the ball.”

“When I tried to throw it late, that’s what usually happens and it results in a turnover. Definitely wish I could have that one back.”

Truth be told, LeBron James wasn’t the only one who made errors late in the All-Star Game. Kobe Bryant missed a critical free throw that gave the East a chance to tie things up, James’ own teammate Dwyane Wade also had a costly fourth quarter turnover. But, all anyone will remember is what seemed like an unwillingness on LeBron’s part to play the role of closer (hero, alpha male, whatever …) that drives people who care about the NBA batty.

And, unfortunately, universal perceptions won’t change until LeBron James wins a title, while taking and making big-time shots along the way. It’s not fair, but hey, that’s life.

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  • JR smiths!!

    Yall stop hating on my main man. Lebron got lebron all day baby. 413 for life. He better than ALL YALL. haters gon hate. 413 baby

  • YaBoy

    LeBron James – the mentally weakest superstar ever in the NBA

  • TRIMEGADON

    bottom line this man choked again even in an all star game, mr james always tries to downplay the game of basketball to us fans as not being so importand whereas he still havent done that for himself first.for god shake man listen to that ishoot kobe…take it!What you worry about ? your boyfriend being mad that you took the shot?

  • str8 from samoa

    he was scared coz of what happened in the finals last year

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    The freaks are coming out, i’m going indoors.

  • TRIMEGADON

    and melo was still open…

  • http://Www.twitter.com/StarksIsAWESOME Tony Starks

    You know what’s the crazy part it’s an all-star game no championship was won over this so wake me up in June thanx

  • dev0

    Such a classic game. Truly representative of the NBA as it is right now. Bron was so on fire in the fourth, but then he’s just so awkwardly modest at the end because the hate’s getting to him. He has to know that he has to take the shot no matter what if he’s ever going to be recognized as the undeniable best in the league. Man up, LeBron, I feel for you.

  • Robleh

    WOW! You guys are reading way too much into this. It’s an All-Star game relax.

  • http://www.borntocompete.com Money$hot

    The way Bron was shooting he should have taken the shot, Durant was coming late for the the double team, BRON HAD THE HOT HAND, obviously in retrospect its not a big deal. But, he was on fire and I just cant understand why he didnt take shot. Melo was open, but Lebron was HOT why not take the shot. I play ball, not professionally and I am no where near as good as Lebron, but if I had a team mate and he had it going I would have wanted him to take the shot.

  • http://idunkonthem.blogspot.com albie1kenobi

    I brought up the point of Kobe as a contrast of style to Lebron. I’m not saying Kobe has anything to do with Lebron’s ability to win this particular, but more as a juxtaposition to the fact that the megastar taking all the crunch time shots isn’t the best way to go either.

  • http://idunkonthem.blogspot.com albie1kenobi

    and just to be balanced, lebron had a breakaway dunk (in 3rd or 4th quarter), but decided to lay it up the last split second and missed it. if he had made the right play then, we wouldn’t be having this conversation now too.

  • http://www.nba.com VanCityBBall

    i cant believe i am actually feeling sympathy for lbj but i have always respected him even in this game

  • KoBynum716

    it’s the AllStar Game….who cares

  • http://www.kb24.com The Seed

    Lebron has no heart, unless he is front-running with a lead or if team needs a comeback. Close game he decides to do things different. BOOK IT!

  • MikeC.

    I love piling on LeBron and dissecting his shortcomings as much as the next Heat hater, but this is ridiculous. LeBron was double teamed, which meant another player was unguarded. That other player, no matter who it was, was an All-star, which means anyone LeBron could pass to was pretty darn good. The pass was the right choice. Now a cross-court pass? Not so much. Right idea, bad execution.

  • JR smiths!!

    hE DiD HiS ThInG aIgHhT!? eNd Of dIsCuSsIoN! jErSeY bAaaaaaby!

  • trueballer4life

    Hands dw lebron is THE BEST player in the nba, my favorite player since jordan, hes gotta take THAT SHOT SHOOT THE DAME BALL, I UNDERSTAND HES A PASS 1ST PLAYER, BUT if GAMES ON THE line RISE TO THE OCCASSION! DONT DIFFER WHEN PESSURES ON THE LINE IT KILLS ME AS FAN ESPECIALLY THE LAS PLAY IN ALL-STAR GM, WADE MISSED AN EASY BUNNY IN THE END TO TAKE THE LEAD…. LEBRON I HOPE THIS WAKES U UP COME JUNE!!!

  • trueballer4life

    I KNOW JORDAN & KOBE LOVE PRESSURE THEY FEED OFF IT, SO SHOULD BRON! AN IM HUGE LBJ FAN, TRUTH IS TRUTH.., ITS LIKE HE DOESN’T WANT TO RESOPONSIBLE FOR THE LOSS…

  • trueballer4life

    NOW I SEE WHY THE CHUCKSTER RIDES U, COME HOOME!!…

  • JR smiths!!

    leBrOn Isz aLwAyS a wInNeR

  • Ldub

    seems that LBJ has a fear of failure. You get rid of that, and the shots will be taken at the end of games!

  • MBE18

    People need to leave that man alone!!!!

  • l2ising Phoenix

    I don’t like Lebron since he left cleveland, but I respect the man. Come June , the heat will be NBA champs cuz of bron bron.

  • ChristianBullen

    The thing I don’t understand is that Lebron used to be clutch in all the intense playoff series’ earlier in his Cleveland days.. back when they would play the Gilbert led Wizards, or when he hit the fallaway three on the Magic in the playoffs.. Where did he lose all the confidence, as soon as he arrived in Miami and became the villain? I don’t know. It’s confusing to watch..

  • robb

    yeah, it was only an all star game, but we’re not talking about just one game, he’s been doing that kind of stuff for sometime now: playoffs, finals, allstar game, you name it. Now I’m not criticizing , or hating on Lebron, in fact I want him to succeed, it’s really frustrating to watch a player like him not being able to get it done. Like I said, it’s has nothing to do with his ability to play the game, it’s not about his great court vision or his bb I.Q. or his tremendous physical ability, it’s about a mental barrier he’s not been able to overcome, and that, as a basketball fan, is frustrating to witness.

  • http://slamonline house

    Wow I think some of you are reading way too much into what is actually only the 2012 All Star Game, i.e., not the NBA finals. Way too many attempts at psycho-analysis. Have you ever thought that Lebron actually needs to fail more than a superstar of Jordan’s caliber ever did before things will start to fall into place enough to win championships. I swear to god, the amount of people who are Jordan fans around here need to maybe quit expecting Lebron’s path to emulate Jordan’s history in any shape or form. Dude is doing it different. Perhaps just appreciate the entertainment he allows us to see on an almost nightly basis instead of being armchair critics every night.

  • l2ising Phoenix

    Everyones a critic!

  • 502

    @ “JR smiths!!” Is your caps lock having a seizure?

  • barnabusb

    I’m not a LeBron fan, but he has taken (and made) plenty of big shots in the last few years. The aren’t championship clinching shots, but he’s hit game winners in plenty of playoff rounds.

  • Do Work

    i don’t really care that he didn’t shoot the last shot, it’s the all-star game so there’s a bunch of dudes out there that should be capable of shooting at the end. besides, it’s the all-star game, there’s nothing to be gained or lost from the outcome of the game. and once again, it’s the all-star game. nothing more to be said.

  • AQWORD

    Lobes game is attatched to MJs scrotum. AINT NOTHIN WORSE THAN A GREEDY BIT(H @ THE All Star Game!

  • Justin G.

    Wow, you guys are idiots. Jumping on a guy for not shooting and making the right play in the freaking All Star Game is just straight up hate, pure and simple. If Kobe was in the same position, shot over the double team, and missed you all would be in here b*tching about how he should have found the open man and not about how he had the stones to take the shot. Some of you were complaining that Kobe shot a couple of airballs (great defense by Wade btw) and didn’t look for his All Star teammates. Doesn’t Lebron get the same consideration? Also if you notice, on a couple of those shots Kobe took, Durant passed him the ball and everyone cleared out. Steve Kerr even mentioned how these superstars were still deferring to Kobe because they know he is the ultimate closer in this league. So Lebron saw the guy was open and passed a fraction of a second too late. If he had taken the shot and missed you would say he wasn’t clutch because he couldn’t hit the shot when it mattered and conveniently forgetting he was the reason the game even got that close to begin with. Also, if he’s looking left on his pass than how does he see the guy open on his right? You all have the benefit of the television angles and he does not. I’m not a Lebron “slurper” as some of you would say to others either but sometimes the hate on here gets so ridiculous it’s hard to read.

  • piliragnar

    This is what I call petty. Regretting not taking the last shot in some meaningless all-star game? Is he 12 years old or what?

  • http://itsahardwoodlife.blogspot.com omphalos

    I think people need to stop using the fact that it was an All-Star game as an excuse, if anything that makes it worse, he was hot in the 4th, playing fast and loose, but as soon as the game (and $25,000) were on the line he reverted to his default setting of overthinking instead of just taking the shot. The Wade fumble was different because there wasn’t a poor decision, just poor execution, we are all human. After that hot streak he went on I almost, ALMOST, got on board with him as the best player in the NBA, but he reminded me why he shouldn’t be almost immediately after.

  • Justin G.

    So, a poor decision is not apart of being human I guess?

  • http://www.kb24.com The Seed

    Lebron choked again period in a big moment, exhibition game or not, he shoot dumb three’s before that point, so why freeze up in the MOMENT. What player seen as the best player in the NBA passes up shots to win games. People go watch MJ shooting gamewinning or tieing shots, he was about to be double team some times like Lebron last night but finds a way to shoot a shot. Lebron does not have the killer mentality and said himself he is Magic. I don’t know how he is some of yall’s favorite player, but he plays like role player in crunch time. I feel his he did not play with friends and a star that would ride him for punking out or not playing to his level, his game would change more. If Lebron played with Kobe he would be a different player right now. Lebron will be the biggest waste of talent ever if he does not win a ring in the NBA. Durant, Melo and Rose are coming for Lebron so he better man up. Also in a Cavs jersy, nobody said Lebron was clutch. He had two great clutch games, Pistons meltdown on defense where he got 25 straight points and a shot to win over Magic, but the series was over. Lebron is Dominique Wilkins right now. BOOK IT!!

  • Justin G.

    So many wrong things said in one ridiculous tirade. Yeah, people saw MJ tie or win games at the end. They also saw him pass to Steve Kerr to win, or countless times to John Paxson vs. the Lakers to close out games. His 55 point game against New York after his first retirement, it was Jordan time…oh wait, it was Bill Wennington time as he made the pass under the hoop. People laud Kobe for how great he is in the clutch, he’s a killer, he’ll go down shooting. Well, he also quit against the Suns and he also quit against the Celtics. But everyone wants to jump on Lebron instead. He didn’t say he IS Magic either, he said his personality is like that of Magic’s. It’s time for you people to realize it’s not in his nature to be like MJ or Kobe. He never has been like that where those two have had that since high school or even before. He’s not going to change his nature because some of you want him to. @nbk…I’m pretty sure when it comes down to those situations he’s not thinking about a measley (for him) $25K for the win either. He probably had that in his wallet.

  • http://www.kb24.com The Seed

    Kobe quit on the Lakers, but people forget the Lakers quit on Kobe for two of his prime years. It took Kobe to me too long to decide to quit on a team that was going no where. Guess what management did next, we got Pau— 3 NBA FINALs. MJ did pass one time to Steve Kerr , John Paxson and Bill Wennington and they hit the shot, like they are suppose to do. Nobody talks about Kobe pass to Derek Fisher, or to Robert Horry or alley oop to Shaq against Blazers or even behind the back pass to Pau in game, where it was a 3point play to help secure Lakers Final win. MJ has some stinkers in his career too. His teammates hated him and people forget MJ played with two Hall of Famers. MJ did not do every thing by himself, so Kobe can’t either. Kobe winning two rings with soft Pau is more awesome than MJ wining with Pippen and Rodman to me. ALso Lebron is an athletic Magic, he should play point and move on with his career. Lebron stated he wanted to take pressure off himself so thats why he is in Miami. Also if Lebron wins one ring in OHIO as the undisputed leader-who turned a franchise around, its ten times better than 3 rings as a sidekick who moved to Wades team where he won them a ring and with Bosh. BOOK IT!!

  • UDamnFools

    Anyone that believes that the Cavaliers were going to win rings with the players they had supporting Lebron are first rate idiots who actually make the world of sports go around anyhow.

  • Demar

    At the end of the day we have winners and losers. Time after time lebron runs away in pressure moments he’s basically he’s Scottie pippen.

  • Vizio

    Kobe got in his head and when a guy is telling you to shoot its because he’s ready to block your shot or challenge you. Lebron chose to not chance it. Period. Kobe knew what to do to get under his skin.

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