After returning from an injury for the first game in a month, LeBron James returned to the court for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The NBA’s all-time scoring leader wasn’t in the starting lineup, though, and instead came off the bench for just the second time in his professional career. This was the first time an active James was not featured in the starting lineup for his team since 2007.
However, despite not checking in until midway through the first quarter, James still made a theatrical entrance. After missing thirteen consecutive games for Los Angeles, once he stepped back on the court, he kept a long-standing tradition alive: He tossed chalk into the air.
LeBron James just did the chalk toss before checking into the game pic.twitter.com/p2IVz0nj5c
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) March 26, 2023
James abandoned the pre-game chalk toss in 2014 but eventually decided that he would bring the ritual back in 2019.
This iconic move has been borrowed by tennis legend Serena Williams and by students at UC Davis during college graduation.
While it was unusual to see this ritual for a player coming off the bench, it’s not very often you see the NBA’s all-time scoring leader in the second unit.
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