Play hard, party harder! LeBron James certainly lives by this motto as he immersed himself in having some quality nightlife in Paris following Team USA’s gold medal win. The whole team is still on a high after a fifth straight Olympic gold and, being the face of the team, LeBron was due some well-deserved break.

This led to a curious encounter at a restaurant in the French capital when LeBron James came across Maxime Tabart, a magician. While the 39-year-old often takes the role of a magician on the court, it was his turn to get amazed. The talented artist asked LeBron to select a card in his mind and instructed him to shuffle the deck. The NBA champ did the same with dealer-like precision before the magician took a photo of him. Then came the big reveal, leaving LeBron and his wife Savannah James stunned.

Tabart revealed the card to be 7 of diamonds by zooming in on the picture of LeBron he took after the shuffle, as the card was visible in the NBA star’s eyes. The video made waves on social media and fans chimed in to add a pinch of salt.

Fans react to LeBron James’ crazy magician encounter

Overtime posted the video with fans diving into the comments section. An IG user wrote, “That shuffle from LeBron. You know he’s collecting people’s money on the card table,” highlighting the legend’s impressive shuffling skill. While LeBron James and gambling don’t go together, the rabbit came out of the hat last year. A Reddit user caught LeBron in the act at a casino in Las Vegas and made sure to record it. He was asked to delete the footage, but we’ll be discreet and give you a chance to see it for yourself.

There were multiple similar comments about LeBron’s amazing shuffling skills. A fan wrote, “That shuffle lemme kno everything I need to kno. Bron be takin ppl money on the side.” No matter how impressive it was, with LeBron’s generational wealth, it’s hard to see him as a gambler. One could argue that Michael Jordan is a billionaire and still loves gambling, but the Lakers forward shows no such sign apart from the scarce instance revealed above.

A second fan commented, “Of course, he can shuffle he’s been on the road all his life.” Being a basketball pro means the majority of LeBron’s life is spent traveling for road games. It is quite common for players to gather together and have fun. A game of cards is not off the limits. Behind-the-scenes footage posted by the NBA teams doesn’t feature that for obvious reasons, but the practice isn’t confidential knowledge.

“I thought LeGangBanger threw up a sign at first when bro took the pic,” wrote a fan after seeing LeBron’s pose in the photo. But the frontal view shows, Bron was actually flipping the bird. It might look out of place, but the surrounding mood had no malice involved, so we can probably let him off the hook.

“Bro how this man good at everything… the shuffle is crazy,” added another user. Athletes generally tend to be good at multiple sports due to their physical condition, reflexes, and spatial awareness. LeBron is also an example of such a multi-talented athlete. The 4-time NBA Champion was a top WR prospect from Ohio during his high school days before ultimately sticking with basketball. During the NBA vs NFL debate, Eagles legend Jason Kelce tipped LeBron to be one of the top players in the football league if he ever made the switch.

Apart from the outdoors, LeBron is also quite versed in indoor activities. He is often seen playing Madden at home and his win-loss record can easily put him close to the top gamers in the world. Now that he’ll be back on home soil, LeBron can devote some time to his favorite virtual game before the preparation for the next season picks up.

After a triumphal experience with Team USA in what was his final Olympics, LeBron James can shift his focus back to the NBA. But the moments he created in the last month or so with his teammates will live long in the memory as the King will be back soon with more magical moments on the court.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.