What Did LeBron Say to Maxi Kleber After Airballed Layup Leads to Viral Reaction?
An inconsequential moment had an outsized impact in the Los Angeles Lakers' 133-121 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.
The Lakers were up 11 inside the final two minutes of the third quarter when veteran forward Maxi Kleber totally whiffed on a layup attempt. Lest that sound like an exaggeration, the ball actually went backward off his fingertips.
The television broadcast shifted its focus to LeBron James on the bench, and the 21-time All-Star was clearly beside himself with laughter.
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According to The Athletic's Dan Woike, James approached Kleber after the game to say he "sparked us" with the airball.
"It was one, hilarious. Two, unbelievable," LeBron said. "And three, never seen no s--t like that where a guy laid the ball up to the opposite rim, going toward the other rim."
The 82-game regular season in the NBA is a grind. Lighthearted moments can break up the monotony and help everyone mentally reset. That's exactly what Kleber apparently did, albeit by accident.
"Honestly, it was like a breath of fresh air, because everyone kinda forgot about what was happening in the game and had a good laugh," Lakers guard Austin Reaves said, per Woike.
Forward Jake LaRavia had a similar assessment.
"It kinda got us to re-engage. To laugh about it and lock right back in," he said.
Kleber might've been the best candidate to provide some comic relief.
"Maxi can be very self-deprecating," head coach JJ Redick said. "And it's not lost on me that we made a run and the guys are laughing, and that it was somewhat of a team-building moment — because it happened to him. There's no embarrassment about it. He's a grown person. So he can take the joke."
The Lakers were up by 19 after the first quarter and maintained a comfortable advantage the rest of the way.
The Pelicans did try to make things interesting in the third quarter by chipping away at the deficit. Los Angeles had been scoreless for three minutes prior to Kleber sinking the first of his two free throws after the wayward layup.
The Lakers probably would've gone on to win even without his personal misfortune. Breaking the tension in that moment helped Redick's squad refocus and widen the gap on New Orleans.
