LeBron James is no stranger to accidentally running into fans sitting courtside. Back in late 2015, Ellie Harvey—the wife of pro golfer Jason Day—had to be taken off the court on a stretcher at a Thunder/Cavaliers game after LeBron collided with her while chasing down a loose ball. So it’s best for fans to be on the lookout for LeBron if they ever find themselves courtside at a Cavs game.
Bill Belichick almost learned that lesson the hard way on Wednesday night when he sat in the front row for a Cavaliers/Celtics game in Boston. The Patriots coach was actually set up underneath the basket in a spot that seemed like it would be perfectly safe. But during the fourth quarter of the game, LeBron lost his balance as he attempted a putback dunk and ended up stumbling directly in Belichick’s direction.
The Cavaliers superstar nearly collided with the legendary NFL coach, but he was able to hold up just enough to avoid knocking him back in his chair. And after the game, which the Cavaliers lost 103-99, he said that that was by design. He claimed he saw where Belichick was sitting and did everything he could to avoid running into him, even though it meant taking out a cameraman. LeBron also joked that he’s not on the same level as Belichick as far as championships are concerned, which is why he couldn’t risk running him over.
"That’s why I slowed up," he said. "I definitely slowed up because I knew it was him. I’m not taking no legend out. I’m not doing that. I need to keep seeing him win. That’s pretty cool for me."
Additionally, LeBron revealed that he got the chance to chop it up with Belichick for a few minutes at the end of the game. He didn’t say what the two talked about, but he said that their brief conversation is something that he’ll "remember forever" in a tweet he sent out.
If we had to guess, Belichick was probably just thanking LeBron for letting him live to coach another day. Way to avoid what could have been a bad collision, Bron.
