LeBron James said sarcastic clapping from a Cavs staffer spurred him to put 46 points on his old team
- LeBron James scored a season-high 46 points as the Lakers beat his former team the Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday.
- James said his performance was spurred on by sarcastic clapping from a Cavs staff member after he missed a shot.
- "He was really excited about me missing that shot," James said. "A little bit more extra than I would have liked."
LeBron James scored a season-high 46 points as the Los Angeles Lakers beat his former team the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-108 on Tuesday.
After the game, he said his performance was spurred on by some sarcastic clapping from a Cavs staff member after he missed a shot in the final moments of the third quarter when the Lakers were still trailing.
"I felt like he was just a little bit too excited about seeing me miss," James told reporters afterwards, declining to name who it was that had caught his attention.
ESPN has since confirmed Jason Hillman, the Cavs' basketball chief of staff, was the person James saw clapping.
"He was really excited about me missing that shot. A little bit more extra than I would have liked. But he's got to root for his team, obviously. And he was, he showcased that.
"So I knew I had another quarter, and the fourth quarter's my favorite."
In the fourth quarter, James completely outscored his former team, putting up 21 points individually compared to the 19 scored by the Cavaliers.
In doing so he helped extend the Lakers road winning streak this season to a franchise record 10-0.
"You take your hat off to him," Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "There's a reason why he is who he is and he's accomplished all the things that he's accomplished."
James, at 36 years and 26 days old, also became the oldest Lakers player to score 40 points in a game since Kobe Bryant. In the final game of his career, Bryant scored 60 points against the Utah Jazz at the age of 37 years and 234 days old.
"I've just never put a ceiling on my potential," James said. "I always wanted to continue to get better and better and better to a point where I also now can dictate [what] the defense can do. And the defense can't dictate what I'm supposed to do."
James' feat came on the eve of the first anniversary of Bryant's death. Bryant died in a helicopter crash in California alongside his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others on January 26 2020.
On Saturday, following the Lakers' win over the Chicago Bulls, James spoke about his and his teammates process of healing after Bryant's death: "Man, it's a saying that time heals all.
"As devastating and as tragic as it was - and still is - to all of us involved with it, only time. And it takes time. Everyone has their own grieving process."
He added: "A lot of things die in this world, but legends never die, and he's exactly that."
The Lakers next face the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday.
Read more:
Bulls rookie says LeBron James was calling out his team's plays before they even happened
The Nets' new Big 3 appeared to dispel a common concern in their first game together