“By the way, he gets fouled 35 times a game. Gets about three or four calls,” SportsNet’s Chris McGee did not hold back from making this observation about LeBron James after the Lakers-Hawks game. In a season where complaints about referees are being made at a more-than-usual rate, it would be rather obvious for many to focus their attention on any potential lapses by the officials. This led to the sportscaster questioning whether the referees were purposely giving King James’ opponents free passes. Whether they did so or not, McGee’s statement would certainly get a callback, thanks to the events from the recent matchup.

A few hours ago, the Lakers concluded their matchup against the Rockets. Despite leading the scoring effort during the 3rd quarter, LeBron James and Co. faltered during the final moments. This allowed the Houston side to secure the win by a 119-115 scoreline. As 7.1 seconds remained on the clock, James was seen raising his hands to call for a time-out. However, the gesture was ignored, and the ball reached Fred VanVleet, aka the player Bron was guarding. Fortunately, the layup did not connect, and the whistle then blew twice.

Despite this, the golden seconds had passed, costing the Lakers a potential opportunity to add to their score. Therefore, once again, it is the Lakers fans who’re taking to social media to highlight their displeasure.

Fans who remember the previous playoffs series may be well aware of the displeasure that LeBron James had shown towards the officials. During Game 2 of the first round, D’Angelo Russell drove to the basket and was fouled by Denver’s Michael Porter Jr.

Nikola Jokic and Co. decided to challenge the call. And it was overturned. This caused the NBA’s all-time lead scorer to say, “What the f— do we have a replay center [for] if it’s going to go [like that]? It doesn’t make sense to me.” Highlighting a similar sort of controversy during the Sixers-Knicks game, he added, “Like, what are we doing? … It’s f–k–g stupid.”

These issues have now continued through the ongoing season too! During the Lakers-Cavs matchup in late October, LeBron James was livid after a referee didn’t call in his favor. The incident occurred when he drove to the basket during the 2nd quarter and got blocked. James then pointed at every player in the opposition that touched him. He was later awarded 2 free throws by the other refs.

However, the initial snub became an example of the quick in-game calls that often get overlooked by the officials. The latest incident has now become another example on that list. As expected, netizens filled X with their honest opinions.

How did the internet react to LeBron James’ timeout call being ignored?

One social media user wrote: “LeBron literally called a timeout but the refs ignored it. Only happens to us man lmfaooooo”. Over the last couple of weeks, fans have verbally attacked referees over several issues. They include Andre Drummond’s ejection, a delayed yet ridiculous foul call on Brandin Podziemski for helping the officials, and a lot more. So, Lakers fans are certainly not the only ones.

One individual criticized the officials by stating, “They robbed us”. With the Lakers’ win record now reduced to 20-15, fans may be looking to point fingers at the things they feel are contributing to the losses. Another individual joined in highlighting his displeasure by writing, “BRON CALLED A TIMEOUT WHAT IS THIS BS.”

After the game, LeBron James himself addressed the incident. He stated, “That’s why I called the timeout, ’cause I saw it go wrong. They (Rockets) played it good, they stayed on top of everything. I saw Fred shoot the gap on me, and I called timeout before. I think Max definitely still had the ball in his hand. Wasn’t rewarded but that’s, you know, that happens.”

From the looks of it, fans seem more ‘violated’ about the ignored call than King James himself! Netizens even questioned the validity of the ref’s mistake. One of them wrote, “The ball was already being thrown”. These comments are now causing quite a debate.

Overall, the reactions highlighted fans being unhappy with the timeout call being ignored. As the Lakers fail to improve their situation, every aspect of their game is starting to be scrutinized and analyzed. So, the focus on the referees is not going away anytime soon.