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LeBron James Sets Record Straight on Why He Walks Off Court Immediately After Games

Kristen Wong

Screengrab on YouTube/ @MindTheGamePodcast
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Cameras tend to zero in on big-name athletes in the heat of a moment hoping to pick up a viral reaction—a defeated look, a gleaming smirk, maybe even a temper tantrum.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been subject to the lingering camera treatment more than a few times this season, including one postgame moment when James walked off the court immediately after a big win over the Dallas Mavericks back in February.

Yet, James insisted there was nothing unsportsmanlike about his behavior in a recent episode of the Mind the Game podcast with Steve Nash.

The 21-time All-Star shared that he does it after wins and losses and explained that he simply wants to head into the locker room as quickly as possible to mentally and physically prepare for the next game.

"It's funny, a lot of people see me walking off the court when it's like time left in the game," James said. "No matter if it's a loss or a win, the reason I'm doing it [is]... I gotta get to the locker room to start my process to get ready for the next game.

"I'll be sitting in the locker room, foot on an ice bag, ice bags on. I got my smoothie and my fruit, and I'm already getting to it right now. ... During a loss they was like, 'Oh, he's a poor sport.' Like, he's leaving the court. ... And then they start seeing me doing it during the wins and they was like, 'He's got no sportsmanship!'"

There are exceptions, of course, as James was recently seen dapping up Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler following the Lakers' loss to the Golden State Warriors last week. Even with The King's unmatched stamina and durability throughout his 22 years and counting in the league, it makes sense that sometimes he just wants to go home and rest his feet after a grueling game.

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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