When Lebron James dropped a monstrous reverse two-handed windmill dunk against the Houston Rockets at the Staples Center on Thursday, we were all left gobsmacked as to how a 35-year-year old veteran could still be that athletic and pull off insane highlight reels.
While enjoying the dunk in its magnificence, a resurfaced throwback video sent social media into a frenzy.
As the dunk was repeatedly shared on social media, an identical dunk Kobe Bryant also pulled off when he was 22 years also went viral after both videos were simultaneously edited into one piece.
The striking similarities of both dunks, which coincidentally happened at the same venue and on the same side of the floor after a turnover, got people saying Lebron purposely performed that dunk to honor his very good friend and ‘big brother’ who sadly passed away in a helicopter crash on January 26.
But did Lebron James intentionally reenact that iconic dunk to honor the Black Mamba?
Speaking to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the Los Angeles Lakers star player revealed it wasn’t planned.
“I don’t know … I didn’t really predetermine that either until I jumped,” he said, according to NBA. “I just jumped and kinda figured it out. It’s crazy how it’s the same exact dunk on the same exact hoop that Kobe did they say, what, 19 years ago or something like that. That was nuts.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8QaZW4AQY_/?utm_source=ig_embed
He even admitted he has never seen that particular Kobe dunk.
“The last time I seen that dunk from him? I don’t know,” Lebron added. “I’ve seen him do it before, but that particular one where it was identical, I haven’t seen that one.”
On getting to know about the similarities of both dunks, he said: “Our great social media team put that together, and I was like, that’s really, really good.”
He continued: “And then I was watching social media today and my son did the same thing in his warm up. He didn’t do it in the game, but he kinda did the same dunk in his warmup. Kobe is in all of us right now … it’s crazy.
“For that to now be a part of my history, that correlation between me and Kobe and that play, I think it’s pretty awesome, and I’m glad I did it in a Laker uniform on that side of the floor.”
Take a look at the iconic dunk below:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8SSoX0HCUV/?utm_source=ig_embed
