Maxi Kleber’s Missed Layup Turned Into a Spark for the Lakers - and a Meme for the Group Chat
Sometimes the biggest plays don’t show up in the box score - and sometimes, they don’t even hit the rim.
That was the case Sunday night when Lakers big man Maxi Kleber had a moment he’d probably like to forget - and yet, it might’ve been the unexpected jolt Los Angeles needed to close out a tricky game against the Pelicans.
Midway through the third quarter, the Lakers were watching their 20-point halftime lead shrink fast. New Orleans had cut the deficit to just 11 with a little over two minutes left in the quarter, and momentum was clearly shifting. Then came the play.
After Luka Doncic was doubled, the Lakers swung the ball around and found Kleber cutting. He caught it in stride, drove hard to the rim, drew contact from Trey Alexander - and then… well, that’s when things got weird.
“I went to the rim. I got fouled, and I thought I had a layup,” Kleber said postgame. “But… I guess I misjudged where the basket was.”
That’s putting it mildly.
Kleber’s finger roll attempt missed everything - and not in the usual “just off the mark” kind of way. The ball floated in the opposite direction, a reverse airball that left even his own bench in stitches.
LeBron James couldn’t help but laugh. “It was one, hilarious,” he said.
“Two, unbelievable. And three, never seen no s- like that where a guy laid the ball up to the opposite rim, going toward the other rim.”
But here’s the thing - as much as it was a blooper, it also broke the tension. The Lakers responded with renewed energy, refocused, and closed the game strong, pulling away for a 133-121 win. That’s now seven straight victories for L.A., who improved to 15-4 and sit firmly in the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference heading into Monday’s matchup with the Suns.
And yes, Kleber’s moment of infamy didn’t end on the court. By the time the team hit the locker room, the play had already made its way into the team group chat.
“It was already in our group message,” Austin Reaves said. “Bron sent it. With a bunch of laugh faces.”
Kleber, to his credit, took it in stride. Reaves shared that as Kleber walked off the court, a couple of young fans - somewhere between 6 and 8 years old - hit him with a sarcastic “Nice finger roll.”
That’s the NBA for you: one minute you’re blowing a wide-open layup, the next you’re the unexpected catalyst for a team win - and a locker room legend.
The Lakers will take the W, and Kleber will take the jokes. But if that moment really did flip the switch for this team, it’s safe to say the airball was worth it.