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Lance Stephenson spent a decade playing in the NBA but is probably best remembered for the strange moment where he tried to throw LeBron James off his game by blowing in his ear. Things eventually came full circle, as he says he eventually got the same treatment from a very bold fan while trying to unwind at a club.
You need every edge you can get when you’re facing off against one of the best basketball players of all time, and Lance Stephenson was willing to try anything and everything to attempt to shut down LeBron James when the Pacers faced off against the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second season in a row in 2014.
Indiana had managed to come within one win of punching its ticket to the NBA Finals before Miami dispatched them in Game 7 the previous year, but they found themselves facing a do-or-die situation after falling into a 3-1 hole during their rematch.
The Pacers were narrowly able to stave off elimination with the 93-90 win in Game 5, and Stephenson understandably attracted plenty of attention thanks to an interesting tactic he pulled out during the contest by blowing into LeBron’s ear before the superstar responded with an appropriately bemused reaction.
Stephenson eventually explained his reasoning by admitting he “was just trying to do anything to get him frustrated,” and while his squad did get the victory in that showdown, they were subsequently eliminated in Game 6.
He also teamed up with James on the Lakers for a single season, and while it doesn’t seem like there was any lingering awkwardness, the same can’t be said for a wild interaction Stephenson was once subjected to while out on the town.
Lance Stephenson had to deal with a random guy who blew in his ear after doing the same to LeBron James
The 34-year-old forward (who most recently played in an NBA game in 2022) was a guest on the latest episode of Carmelo Anthony’s 7PM in Brooklyn and got the chance to address the fateful blow while admitting he does have some regrets due to what he had to deal with as a result.
He recalled one particular egregious encounter stemming from the move, saying:
“I was at a club, right? I came in the club late. I ain’t wanna get no section, I ain’t wasting no money, so I go to the bar.
Some drunk dude comes and *makes blowing sounds*…[He goes] ‘That’s how LeBron felt! How do you like that?!’ I was about to go H.A.M., bro. Like, the hard spit blow.”
It may not have been too amusing in the moment, but that is an objectively hilarious move.