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The NBA’s 9 most hilarious missed travel calls

How were these plays not called for traveling?

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LeBron James said his travel against the Utah Jazz was the worst one of his life, and folks, he was not wrong. James dribbled the ball past the halfcourt line, then just walked a bit before remembering to dribble it again. That is not how basketball is played. Yet somehow, none of the referees blew their whistle.

LeBron got away with one pic.twitter.com/Uv4uMKKcDi — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 5, 2019

During the game, James talked to a fan after realizing how awful the play was. “I didn’t even know I did it until I saw it at halftime,” he said. “That’s the worst I’ve ever done. Yeah, that was f-cked up.”

LeBron to a fan about his no-call travel/double-dribble: “Yeah I know that was bad. That was real bad. I didn’t even know I did it until I saw it at half-time. That’s the worst I’ve ever done. Yeah, that was f-cked up. I feel bad for them though.” pic.twitter.com/YNffJPN1t9 — Yoni (@OriginalYoni) December 5, 2019

“I think I was ready to pass the ball,” James said after the game, according to ESPN , “and my brain just kind of just, I had a malfunction. I really had a malfunction ... I feel bad for the refs on that one because they’ll probably get a write-up on that or something.”

James’ travel was hilariously bad, but it’s far from the first time a player’s egregiously messed up and forgot to put the ball on the ground. Here are some of the best travels to not get called by the officials.

Bradley Beal ’s gallop

Blake Griffin ’s defense psyched out Beal , who, after taking his two steps on a drive to the hoop, took three more steps.

No whistle.

Worst of all, referees after the game stood by the call!

“The offensive player gathers with his right foot on the ground,” the official ref account tweeted . “He then takes two legal steps, before losing control of the ball. After regaining possession, a player is allowed to regain his pivot foot and pass or shoot prior to that foot returning to the ground. This is legal.”

The time Dirk Nowitzki played hopscotch

Nowitzki really just kept taking mini bunny hops going backwards. He took seven steps! Seven!

Kemba Walker’s jump-and-spin

Walker’s hop-step was a total mess, and his awkward landing sent him into another spin and a half-step and then ... a layup? The Celtics’ defense had a right to be Mad As Hell.

Take a bus next time, Kemba... pic.twitter.com/vbTeDh7FUT — Dime (@DimeUPROXX) April 12, 2016

Kendrick Perkins ’ nine-step walk

NINE! 9! (NINE?!)

Perkins kept changing his pivot foot and not a single soul in black-and-white stripes paid attention. They thought this looked fine:

WATCH: Kendrick Perkins' 9-step travel highlights this edition of "Shaqtin' A Fool!" https://t.co/tvDm4hycAP — NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 10, 2015

Dwyane Wade ’s seven-step travel

Wade dribbled down the court, similar to James, and appeared to do some stretching with the ball over his head while changing his pivot foot over and over again. In basketball, you simply can not do that.

Josh Smith’s 20+-step travel

This is so bad that I have no words.

Corey Brewer ’s dunk travel

In comparison to some of his colleagues, Brewer taking six steps before dunking wasn’t all that bad!

James Harden ’s double step-back

The best for last. This one is so legendary that it even had a failed reboot. Harden shuffled his feet backwards twice for a walk so obvious that nobody called it.

Months later, Steph Curry did it ... but he got whistled!

They just called a travel on Steph for doing the Harden double stepback. Ha pic.twitter.com/6HGgE55rfZ — Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) January 6, 2019

Harden is, to date, our uncalled travel king.

Next time you complain that a specific player “always gets away with travels,” remember: They are not the only ones.

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LeBron James explains his ridiculous travel that was not called

LeBron James somehow got away with what may have been the most obvious travel in NBA history on Wednesday night, and even he seemed like he was in disbelief after he watched the replay.

Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ 121-96 win over the Utah Jazz, LeBron admitted that he should have been called for a travel in the first quarter when he stopped his dribble and took more than three steps before putting the ball back on the floor. He called it “probably one of the worst things I’ve ever done in my career.”

“I think at the same time, I was watching the underneath play, and KCP and Donovan got into it. KCP started to run, and Donovan bumped into him, he fell on the ground,” LeBron said, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin . “I think I was ready to pass the ball, and my brain just kind of just, I had a malfunction. I really had a malfunction.”

LeBron said he didn’t even realize he had traveled until a coach showed him the replay at halftime. You can imagine what he must have thought when he watched the video:

LeBron got away with one pic.twitter.com/Uv4uMKKcDi — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 5, 2019

A fan heckled James about the travel during the third quarter, and he could be heard on the TV broadcast responding, “That’s one of the worst things I’ve ever done in my life.” He also said after the game that he felt sympathy for the officials.

“I feel bad for the refs on that one because they’ll probably get a write-up on that or something,” LeBron said. “That was pretty bad.”

We have seen NBA refs miss traveling violations during crucial moments in big games , so fortunately LeBron’s was not one of those instances. You have to wonder if an official would have blown the whistle if it were any player other than King James.

Lakers fans , show everyone who runs LA with this great T-shirt :

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LeBron James says uncalled travel 'one of the worst' of his career

LeBron James describes what happened on his travel that the referees missed in the first quarter of the Lakers-Jazz game. (0:36)

Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09. Follow on X

SALT LAKE CITY -- LeBron James broke a personal seven-game road losing streak to the Utah Jazz , dating back to December 2010, in the Los Angeles Lakers ' 121-96 win Wednesday, but there was one sequence he would like to get back.

As James was bringing the ball past half court in the first quarter, he picked up his dribble and proceeded to take 3½ steps -- making it from the "A" to the "H" of Utah's midcourt signage -- before putting the ball on the floor again, with no travel call made by the official.

"It was the worst thing, probably one of the worst things I've ever done in my career," James said after the game, essentially admitting his final line of 20 points, 12 assists and just one turnover should have included a second turnover. "I didn't realize I did it until halftime. One of my coaches showed me."

Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic didn't take quite as long to recognize the miscue, signaling to referee Jacyn Goble as soon as it happened.

James said he was distracted by a collision involving Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Donovan Mitchell and absent-mindedly kept shuffling his feet as he checked it out.

"I think at the same time, I was watching the underneath play, and KCP and Donovan got into it. KCP started to run, and Donovan bumped into him, he fell on the ground," James said. "I think I was ready to pass the ball, and my brain just kind of just, I had a malfunction. I really had a malfunction."

James had fun with a fan heckling him about the play in the third quarter by heckling himself right back.

"That's one of the worst ones I've ever done in my life," he could be heard saying to the fan on the Spectrum SportsNet broadcast of the game.

Lakers guard Danny Green said he finally saw James' happy feet in the postgame locker room.

"I was wondering where I was when it happened. I'm like, 'When the hell did this happen?' So, yeah, I didn't catch it," Green said. "But it was funny to see after the game."

James, who has publicly critiqued NBA officiating several times this season, acknowledged he was the beneficiary of a no-call this time around.

"I feel bad for the refs on that one because they'll probably get a write-up on that or something," James said. "That was pretty bad."

LeBron James Was Called For a Pretty Blatant Travel and People Still Got Mad Online

By stephen douglas | mar 29, 2023.

The Los Angeles Lakers visited the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night after losing to them in LA on Sunday. And a funny thing happened. LeBron James got called for a travel. It was a pretty easy call for the officials and Bulls announcer Stacey King hit visiting star with a solid one-liner. You would think that would be it, but this is the Internet.

"DID YOU BRING A PASSPORT WITH YOU?" Bulls announcers didn't hold back on Bron 😅 pic.twitter.com/38X4n720Se — NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 30, 2023

First, many people who see this clip assume that the travel was not called because players - sometimes even LeBron himself - often get away with this sort of thing. So there are people mad or annoyed at the NBA and its officials for a correct call.

And then there are people in the replies to the above video arguing that it wasn't actually a travel because he was gathering . I swear to you that those people exist. There is truly no limit to what you will argue if venture into basketball Twitter. This league indeed.

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LeBron James explains how he 'malfunctioned' on that hilarious missed travel call in the Lakers-Jazz game

Lebron picked the ball up, took a few steps, then started dribbling again like nothing happened.

Over the course of a long season, it can sometimes take teams a few minutes to get into the flow of the game. As the matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz on Wednesday night showed us, that apparently applies to the referees as well.

A little over two minutes into the game, LeBron James brought the ball up the floor for the Lakers, as he does countless times per game. This time, after crossing midcourt, he took a few seconds to survey the defense, and then forgot to keep dribbling. That sounds somewhat ridiculous for any player, but especially one of LeBron's caliber. However, there's really no other explanation for what happened.

Just watch. He picks up the ball, casually strolls for a few more steps, then starts dribbling again as if nothing happened. Meanwhile, Bojan Bogdanovic is screaming and pointing at the referee to blow the whistle and call a travel (or double-dribble), but gets met with silence.

Bron went for a walk 😂 pic.twitter.com/aLOlXpmrnu — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 5, 2019

While talking to reporters after the game, LeBron didn't shy away from talking about how awful of a travel it was.

"It was the worst thing, probably one of the worst things I've ever done in my career," James said. "I didn't realize I did it until halftime. One of my coaches showed me."

While it was one of those "athletes are just like us" moments, LeBron did offer up an explanation for what exactly happened in that moment and what he was focusing on.

"I feel bad for the refs on that one because they'll probably get a write-up on that or something."

To be fair to the referee, it does appear like his head was pointed in the other direction as LeBron pauses his dribble, which would explain why he missed the violation. When Bogdanovic screams, you can see him snap his head back to LeBron, who at that point was about to dribble again.

It's a bit understandable that he looked away, as you wouldn't expect anything to happen when a superstar is dribbling by himself near midcourt. And to be honest it's not like LeBron got some big advantage in that situation. Bogdanovic wasn't pressuring him, and when he starts dribbling again he's still 30-plus feet from the basket.

Obviously, he should have been called for traveling, but it's still a hilarious moment. And the fact that it was LeBron, of all people, only makes it funnier. Not only did we get to see one of the best basketball players of all time look like a clueless third grader for a few seconds, but the missed call will only fuel the conspiracy theories that the league is biased towards LeBron and the Lakers.

All in all, it's just a perfect moment for the current era of the NBA.

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Turns Out LeBron James Traveled On 'No-Call' Against Celtics, But Lakers Won't Stop Whining About Officiating

LeBron James and the Lakers (including their fans) hopped on a soapbox after Saturday night's loss against the Boston Celtics to complain about lopsided officiating going against the LA team.

Well, once you dig into the controversial play, there's more to it than LA's opinion.

With the score tied 105-105, LeBron drove to the basket for a layup only to get hit on the arm by Celtics star Jayson Tatum. No foul was called by the official and the game went into overtime, where the Lakers had another shot at winning the game but fumbled the opportunity, losing 125-121.

LeBron went hysterical after the no-call, and his supporters hopped online to suggest NBA refs hold a bias against James.

Turns out they actually did him a favor on that play by not calling an evident travel en route to the basket.

New baseline footage released from the final seconds of regulation shows LeBron taking THREE big steps to the basket, with the ref keeping the silent whistle tucked in his mouth.

The outrage following the game was tremendous, prompting the NBA referees union to release a statement on Sunday, calling the non-foul call on LeBron "gut-wrenching."

RELATED: NBA REFS CALL LEBRON JAMES’ NON-FOUL A ‘GUT-WRENCHING’ MOMENT AFTER FULL DAY OF WHINING FROM LAKERS FANS

James, his teammates and Lakers nation's overreactions fed a narrative that LA has been denied win after win due to bad officiating.

Had the 13th-seeded Lakers followed through on their outrage with an overtime performance to match, perhaps they could have been celebrating a win Saturday morning. But instead, they shouted to the Southland sky, begging the NBA to take action and gift LeBron the "win" he never deserved against the Celtics.

Sports will always be a meritocracy where the better team, that day, will win in the end.

The Lakers and their fans profess that this is a squad that's serious about winning; the same 23-28 team that's in the middle of a crucial road-trip stretch but still opted to rest their top players on Monday night against the Nets, only to lose yet again. Who's to blame there?

NBA reveals Warriors hurt by missed LeBron travel call

By tom dierberger • published march 6, 2022 • updated on march 7, 2022 at 12:37 pm.

There are missed calls in every NBA game. But some are more costly than others.

With the Warriors slumping in the midst of a four-game losing streak, every non-call and disadvantage stings a bit more.

On Sunday, the NBA released its Last Two Minute Report for Golden State's 124-116 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. The most notable of the referee miscues was a non-call on a late travel by LeBron James.

Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.

After Steph Curry trimmed the Lakers' lead to 119-116 on a layup with 1:06 remaining in regulation, Lakers coach Frank Vogel called a timeout. A game-defining possession awaited both teams.

Opting to facilitate rather than score after the breather, LeBron bounced a pass to guard Russell Westbrook, who missed a fadeaway jumper. Lakers rookie Austin Reaves grabbed the offensive board and tossed it back to LeBron, who began directing traffic on the Lakers logo at half-court.

LeBron, being guarded by Klay Thompson, drove into the paint and dished it outside for teammate Carmelo Anthony, who nailed the wide-open 3-pointer to make it 122-116.

CLUTCH LeBron finds Melo in the corner to increase the @Lakers lead to 6 late on ABC! pic.twitter.com/ZZ5CYE3KWi — NBA (@NBA) March 6, 2022

However, the league's report indicates LeBron traveled on his way into the paint before passing to Anthony in the corner.

"James (LAL) splits his pivot foot at the start of his dribble," it reads.

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If a travel had been called, Golden State would have gained possession down three points with 38.6 seconds remaining. Curry and company then could have tied it up or executed a two-for-one therefore greatly increasing their chances to steal a win on the road and end their losing skid.

Instead, the Warriors will take their four-game losing streak to Ball Arena on Monday night when they face the Denver Nuggets.

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LeBron James says uncalled travel 'one of the worst' of his career

As James was bringing the ball past half court in the first quarter, he picked up his dribble and proceeded to take 3 steps -- making it from the "A" to the "H" of Utah's midcourt signage -- before putting the ball on the floor again, with no travel call made by the official.