Lakers star LeBron James took to his Instagram account to flame NBA referees for not calling a foul in Sunday’s game despite the fact that he came away with bloody scratch marks on his right arm.
James even pointed out the long scratch mark visibly bleeding during the game when he confronted official Mousa Dagher during the second half of the Lakers-Trail Blazers game on Jan. 21 at Crypto.com Arena in L.A., Fox News reported.
It appears that Trail Blazers rookie Scoot Henderson delivered the swipe to James’s right bicep as the rookie tried to take the ball away from James. The clash caused the ball to go out of bounds. But James’s complaint was to no avail as the incident was not ruled a foul.
Uncharacteristically, James resisted flopping after the scratching.
After the game, James took to his Instagram stories to blast the ref.
“(Referee) look right at me and said, ‘I didn’t see a foul.’ Man what! I give up, man,” he wrote, according to Fox.
James was no worse for wear, finishing with 28 points on Sunday evening.
Scoot Henderson #00 of the Portland Trail Blazers plays defense during the game against LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers on January 21, 2024, at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. (Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Lakers will next play the L.A. Clippers on Jan. 23. James will not play due to an ankle injury.
The Lakers star has been reporting the ankle injury for several weeks but has continued playing. However, he was already ruled out for Tuesday’s game after Sunday’s 134-110 victory over the Trail Blazers.
James is averaging 24.8 points a game, 7.4 assists, and 7.2 rebounds this season. But the team is 9th in the Western Conference with 22 wins and 22 losses so far this season.
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