Philadelphia Eagles rookie says LeBron James inspired his flop against Miami Dolphins

Published by

Jesse Cinquini

October 23, 2023 7:58 am

Philadelphia Eagles star rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter flopped in Sunday’s game versus the Miami Dolphins. A flag was subsequently thrown against Miami.

After the game, Carter said that Los Angeles Lakers superstar forward LeBron James inspired his flop against the Dolphins.

Carter finished with one solo tackle against the Dolphins, and Philadelphia won the game 31-17 to improve its record to 6-1 on the season, including 3-0 at home.

The 22-year-old played college football at the University of Georgia before the Eagles drafted him with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. In six appearances during the 2023 regular season, he has accumulated 13 combined tackles, eight solo tackles, five quarterback hits and five tackles for loss.

James is entering his 21st season in the NBA and sixth as a member of the storied Lakers franchise. He averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game in 55 games played with Los Angeles during the 2022-23 regular season. The 38-year-old was also named an All-Star for the 19th time of his pro career a season ago.

James played in three games for the Lakers during preseason. His best game came against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 19. In 22 minutes of playing time, James scored 19 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out three assists for the Lakers. He also converted six of his 12 field-goal attempts, but the Lakers lost that game by a final score of 123-100.

The forward also played well against the Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 9 and Golden State Warriors on Oct. 13. He finished with 10 points, five assists, one steal and one block against the former and 12 points, five assists and two rebounds against the latter.

Lakers fans should get a kick out of Carter admitting that James inspired him to flop against the Eagles.

James and the Lakers will hope to start the 2023-24 NBA regular season off with a win when they take on center Nikola Jokic and the defending champion Denver Nuggets on the road on Oct. 24.

Jesse Cinquini

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.