LeBron James yanked Norman Powell’s jersey in Game 3 of the East semis Friday night, and the Raptors guard did not appreciate it.
James was actually trying to keep Powell from sitting on the bench, which would have resulted in a technical foul for an illegal substitution.
Norman Powell did not appreciate LeBron yanking his jersey, even if he was trying to help. pic.twitter.com/rUci98KeWb
— ESPN (@espn) May 7, 2017
The 23-year-old says he felt disrespected:
“They were subbing in PJ [Tucker], he thought I was coming out, he was pulling my jersey,” Powell told ESPN before Sunday’s Game 4. “I hit his hand away and told him, ‘You don’t do that.’ I told him not to pull my jersey. We got into it a little bit. I told him not to pull my jersey. If he’s trying to get my attention, call my name, call my number, but don’t do that. Don’t pull my jersey like that.”
“I just don’t like that,” Powell told ESPN. “I don’t care if it’s LeBron or if it’s anybody. It could be Kawhi [Leonard], it could be anybody. Just don’t pull my jersey. I feel like that’s a little disrespectful, you know what I’m saying? Like you’re trying to son me, and I don’t go for that.”
James responded to Powell’s hitting his arm with an incredulous look.
“He said he was trying to help me,” Powell said. “I mean, if you’re trying to help me, don’t pull my jersey. You can call my name, you don’t have to pull my jersey like that. I feel like that’s disrespectful. So, I hit his hand away. He said he was trying to help me. He was like, ‘All right, all right. I won’t help next time.’ Whatever. Just don’t pull my jersey.”
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