Lakers' LeBron James Laments Lack of Foul Calls: 'It's Been a Theme for Me'
LeBron James is frustrated with NBA referees.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar had a fantastic game in the team's 109-108 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, scoring 30 points while finishing 14-of-27 from the field. He added six rebounds, four assists and two steals in the win, but what he didn't have was a single free-throw attempt, and his 27 shots without attempting a free throw was the most of his career, per ESPN Stats & Info.
"I'm living in the paint and if you look at my arm right here, these are four or five [scratches] that happened the last two games, and they weren't called at all," James said after the contest.
"It's been a theme for me, personally," he added. "Pretty much in my career and over the last few years."
The 5.6 free throws James is averaging this year is well below his career average of 8.1 per game. On the other hand, that number still ties him for 20th in the NBA with Danilo Gallinari and Karl-Anthony Towns, so it's not as though James has been completely frozen out by the referees.
Still, James is well behind his own teammate, Anthony Davis (7.7), in free-throw attempts per game. And he's nowhere close to the league's superstars that top the list:
- James Harden: 14.4 free-throw attempts per game
- Giannis Antetokounmpo: 11.2 free-throw attempts per game
- Luka Doncic: 8.9 free-throw attempts per game
- Jimmy Butler: 8.2 free-throw attempts per game
His teammates have taken notice.
"Someone of his caliber that attacks the basket, he doesn't really try to fool you and try to grab your arm a la Harden or everyone," Jared Dudley noted. "He just tries to overpower you, and it's tough sometimes to get that [call]."
"He should at least get eight to 10 free throws a game," Danny Green added. "No doubt about it, how he attacks the rim, attacks the basket. It's a physical game, and obviously he doesn't flop. So it's hard for refs to see and hard to referee him. But it's stuff that most guys get that he doesn't get because of how big and strong he is compared to everybody else."
It's surely one of the few complaints the Lakers have after an excellent 14-2 start to the season. The early days of the James and Davis pairing have gone as smoothly as possible, with their individual skill sets complementing each other. Role players like Green, Dudley, Kyle Kuzma, Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee have embraced their jobs and done them well.
Despite the good vibes, don't expect James to ignore the lack of whistles going his way.
