Lakers: Montrezl Harrell calls out Solomon Hill for hurting LeBron James
By Josh Hill
LeBron James left Saturday’s game against the Hawks and Montrezl Harrell is calling the play out as dirty.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James left Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks after suffering a scary lower leg injury while scrambling for a loose ball.
LeBron appeared to get rolled up on by Solomon Hill, causing his ankle to buckle and bend.
LeBron somehow stayed in the game but eventually left and did not return. Further tests will determine just how serious the injury is and how long the Lakers might have to be without their star forward — and let’s face it, their main hope at repeating as NBA champions.
While the play and resulting injury could be telegraphed straight-forward, not everyone is ready to leave it at that. LeBron’s Lakers teammate Montrezl Harrell thinks Hill intentionally tried to hurt LeBron.
https://twitter.com/respectdabeard1/status/1373367524666974209?s=21
Montrezl Harrell accuses Solomon Hill of playing dirty against LeBron
After the game, Harrell was asked about it and called out both the officials and Hill for what he thought was a dirty play that warranted more attention than it received.
“Montrezl Harrell said that Solomon Hill did not make a basketball play when diving on the floor and going through LeBron James’ legs to try to get the steal,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported after the game. “He thought it should have been reviewed by the referees and Hill should receive more of punishment than a common foul.”
Montrezl Harrell said that Solomon Hill did not make a basketball play when diving on the floor and going through LeBron James’ legs to try to get the steal. He thought it should have been reviewed by the referees and Hill should received more of punishment than a common foul.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 20, 2021
In real-time, it looked like Hill was making a play at the ball before getting tangled up in LeBron’s leg. But slow-motion replay gives credence to the theory among Lakers fans — and Harrell — that it wasn’t much of a basketball play at all or something that started as a play on the ball did not end that way.
The league has not commented on the play and it’s unclear whether further discipline will be handed out for Hill’s hit or Harrell’s comments about officiating.