LeBron reveals checking his phone at halftime helped create viral interaction with fan

Jesse Cinquini
4 Min Read
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Early on in the Los Angeles Lakers’ win over the Miami Heat on Jan. 15, Lakers star LeBron James waved to a young fan, and she proceeded to become emotional.

After the final buzzer sounded and the Lakers secured a nine-point victory, the 40-year-old approached the young fan and even took a picture with her. The video of James’ interaction with the girl has gone viral on social media.

James has since revealed that the fact that he checked his phone at the halftime break helped lead to the viral interaction he had with the fan. He didn’t realize she had such a strong reaction to him waving to her because he was focused on the game at hand after giving a wave.

“Thank goodness that I actually looked at my phone at halftime, or I wouldn’t have even seen the reaction when I waved to her in the first half,” James said after the game. “I waved to her, and then I got back to play. So, to have that type of connection with someone, where they can have that type of reaction, I think that’s what it’s all about. And I’ve always tried to be a role model and someone that kids can look up to. … Try to make them proud and want to come see me play or if they’re not able to see me play, hopefully some of the things that I do off the floor continue to inspire them.”

The 40-year-old once again defied Father Time with his performance against his former team on Wednesday. He stuffed the stat sheet with 22 points, five rebounds, nine assists and two steals. Additionally, James shot an efficient 9-of-15 from the field and 3-of-6 from 3-point range.

James helped improve the Lakers’ record to 21-17 on the season after they took care of business against a Heat squad without Jimmy Butler. Los Angeles snapped a three-game losing streak with the victory to boot, with losses during that stretch coming to the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs.

Perhaps James’ availability in his 22nd season in the NBA has been equally as impressive as the numbers he’s put up. Los Angeles has played 38 games so far in the 2024-25 regular season, and the NBA’s oldest player has suited up in all but three of those games. He’s on track to play in well over 70 of the Lakers’ 82 games.

If James can continue to be consistently available for the Lakers this season, he seems bound to make more lasting memories with young fans, especially considering that the clock is seemingly ticking on his NBA career. For perspective, nobody in league history has played more than 22 seasons in the pros before deciding to call it quits, and James and Vince Carter are the only players to log 22 seasons.

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Jesse is a sports journalist with extensive experience covering the NBA. He has worked as a staff writer covering the Lakers’ dreaded rivals, the Boston Celtics, for SB Nation. He has also covered the New York Knicks for The Knicks Wall.