Now that these two are teammates, this is a great time for Lance Stephenson to open up about why he blew in LeBron James’ ear all those years ago.
Now that Lance Stephenson and LeBron James are teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers, the former has now decided to share the story of how he created one of the more bizarre moments in NBA history.
In the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals, Stephenson, who was then with a loaded Indiana Pacers squad, did everything he could to get under the skin of LeBron James, who was then one part of the Miami Heat’s dominant “Big 3.” In Game 5 of that series, with the Pacers fighting for survival, Stephenson was solid for the Pacers in a game they had to win.
But what came during that game is what got everyone talking — Stephenson blew into the ear of King James, something LeBron just laughed off in disbelief.
For years, no one knew exactly why Stephenson blew in LeBron’s ear, and in the process, “the blow” has become a meme that has taken a life all on its own. Now, Stephenson finally opened up on why he went with that tactic.
In a video interview with The Score, Stephenson said that the blow was his way of trying to get James mad.
“I was really trying to get [James] mad,” he said. “Really trying to win the game, trying to get him unfocused. I would try anything.”
Well, as we all know now, it’s incredibly hard to get the King flustered. Though the Pacers would win Game 5, LeBron and the Heat blew the Pacers right out of American Airlines Arena in Game 6, and send Indiana home for the season. It was just Lance being Lance, and that’s probably the one thing we’ll forever love about him.