LeBron James has been on a tear in the NBA playoffs. He is averaging 34 points a game and is currently resting until he figures out who his opponent will be in the Eastern Conference Finals. Many have seen LeBron James shoot the ball a number of times and many assumed he was right-Handed since he shot right-handed. But that isn't the case, as LeBron revealed in a post-game press conference that he was actually left handed, but decided to switch to a right-handed shooting motion for reasons that one might not understand. Nobody really paid attention to what hand LeBron shoots with until he made a left-handed shot in the conference semis rather easily over Raptor defenders.
The Cool Trend
LeBron credited his switch to being a right-handed shooter to the G.O.A.T Michael Jordan and another legend Penny Hardaway. He said during his press conference that he looked up to both of these players growing up and decided to shoot righty simply because he wanted to be like them. There is no problem wanting to be like Mike, as he is one of the best scorers in NBA history. Penny Hardaway is no slouch either, as he was a part of the dominant duo of Shaq and himself when he was with the Orlando Magic and was a great scorer himself.
LeBron is primarily a left-handed guy. He eats and writes with his left hand and he really can't explain the change to shooting right handed. His only response was that "it looked cool.
" He has worked with both hands throughout his career and has proven he can make that left-handed shot if the situation calls for it. He also explained that as he got older he should've shot with his left because those shots look a lot better than the right-handed shots many are used to seeing. LeBron was just a kid wanting to participate in the cool trend at the time, and it hasn't hurt his game in the slightest of measures.
Props to Coach
James also gave credit to his childhood coach Frank Walker on how he could make a left-handed shot. With him shooting right-handed, his left hand was going to be at a disadvantage not being used to shooting the ball with his left. He quoted his coach telling him "If you can’t make a left-handed layup, then you’re not going to be much of anything of a basketball player." His coached taught him how to make a left-handed layup and ever since then, James has been working on his craft.
Coach Walker helped James work on his flaws and it turned out well for the 3-time NBA champion. LeBron's ability to use both hands on offense showed in their series against the Raptors, as he hit a number of left-handed shots with ease. Well, we now know the reason why, as he would've used that left hand in the first place.
No matter what hand LeBron uses at this point, he is pretty hard to stop as they are undefeated in the NBA playoffs. LeBron can sip his wine with his left and practice his shot with his right, as they have a few more days to rest before they hit the court again for the Eastern Conference Finals. LeBron's ambidextrous is a unique skill and he never stops surprising us with how he became the great player he is today.
