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ESPN’S microphones caught the aftermath of a LeBron James collision with referee Scott Foster during Saturday’s Game 3 between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets.
The 38-year-old NBA star caused the official to be bloodied in the third quarter of the eventual Lakers‘ 119-109 loss on Saturday night.
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James sprinted up the court on a fast break until he hit Foster before midcourt.
The Lakers training staff would tend to Foster, who was bleeding from his lip.
Shortly after, the ESPN cameras and microphones picked up an interaction between James and Foster.
James said, “I didn’t see [Foster]. I turned and went. I was already in sprint mode.”
Foster would respond: “I was trying to get out of your way.”
Then, once James replied “my bad,” Foster would joke: “You’ve been wanting to do that for 25 years.”
Los Angeles forward Austin Reaves could also be heard at the beginning of the clip saying, “That should be a tech, honestly… I’m joking!”
The 56-year-old Foster has been an NBA referee for 28 years.
LeBron had 23 points, 12 assists, and seven rebounds in the Lakers loss.
It was their first loss on their home court in the playoffs.
Los Angeles is on the brink of elimination as their down 3-0 in the playoff matchup.
They’ll face star Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets at home on Monday night.
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