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LeBron James should be fined for leaving the court early

By Austin Connolly

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 04: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after being fouled while shooting during the second half against the Miami Heat in Game Three of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on October 04, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 04: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after being fouled while shooting during the second half against the Miami Heat in Game Three of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on October 04, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) /
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LeBron James walked off the court early in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

The 2020 NBA Playoffs have brought us incredible 3-1 comebacks, buzzer beaters, and plenty of upsets. However, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that the atmosphere is just not the same. With no fans, travel, or homecourt advantage, It’s been hard to take seriously at times. However, LeBron James’ actions after Game 3 are inexcusable. He needs to be fined.

While Miami held up their end of the unwritten rules of basketball and took a shot clock violation in the closing seconds of their Game 3 victory, LeBron James left the court with 10 seconds still on the clock.

As their leader made a brisk exit, Anthony Davis, Kyle Kuzma, and Rajon Rondo followed suit while also still checked into the game.

After the shot clock expired, the referees insisted that the Lakers needed five players on the court to inbound the ball and run off the final 0.7 seconds of the game. Markieff Morris was the only Laker still out there.

After noticing this, Anthony Davis returned. To fill out the remaining three slots needed to conclude the game by NBA rule, Alex Caruso and a few others awkwardly stumbled off the bench to check-in. LeBron did not return.

As I stated earlier, It’s understandably a very unusual NBA Playoffs. On-court post-game interviews are few and far between and no fans are leaning over the railings hoping for autographs.

However, the clock still works as well as it does in any NBA arena in the country. Sportsmanship should transcend all circumstances. But as of now, the NBA has given us no reason to believe that the Lakers will face any consequences or be fined.

Although it feels like months ago, the sporting world collectively tuned into the Emmy-Award-winning documentary The Last Dance in record numbers. As a result, the media, fans, and others crucified the Bad Boys Pistons when they famously left the floor after being swept by the Chicago Bulls in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals.

To the Pistons’ credit, other teams have done this too. In fact, I wrote about a time where our own Lakers deprived these Pistons of a shot at winning the 1988 NBA Finals by storming the court.

In the ensuing days after Episodes 3 and 4 were released, ESPN and other media outlets ripped the Pistons for their actions. Isiah Thomas actually went on ESPN’s Get Up for a nearly 20-minute segment to atone for the sins of his former teammates.

In the wake of the Pistons controversy, Sunday’s events have left me in a state of complete confusion.

Why are we allowed to condemn the Pistons for walking off the floor but we can’t hold LeBron James accountable for doing the same thing? One event happened almost three decades ago. The latter happened this week!

The answer? The game has changed. This season has been a major stepping stone in the right direction for involving players in the presentation of the league in which they play.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and some players chose not to return to the bubble, the NBA obliged. When the Milwaukee Bucks made a last-minute decision to not take the floor in support of Jacob Blake, the NBA had their back and allowed other games to be postponed as well.

When players wanted the right to speak about more than basketball in postgame interviews, the NBA allowed them the platform to do that.

In return? We’ve seen one of the most disengaged and unhinged playoffs in recent history. Montrezl Harrell and Luka Doncic had an exchange where no one was fined. Marcus Smart and his teammates got into a locker room altercation in the Eastern Conference Finals. And now, of course, LeBron James has led his team off the floor on the game’s biggest stage.

Next. 5 lessons from Game 3 loss to Miami. dark

Although I’m personally happy to see the league support the players, I’d like to see the players have the NBA’s back too. With ratings plummeting and ticket sales nonexistent, we don’t need any reasons for people to disconnect from basketball. The NBA and players need to be better and it starts with the face of the league: LeBron James.