Lakers Star Can’t Stop Laughing After Getting Away With Disgusting Double-Dribble
A ref was staring directly at him, too.
You have better odds of winning the lottery than witnessing an NBA player get whistled for a travel or double-dribble. Walking with the basketball has long been ignored by the league, but that doesn't mean that the NBA or its officials should not be criticized for not enforcing one of the most fundamental rules of the sport.
While the list of examples of referees swallowing their whistles with players walking all over the court grows by the night, the no-call on Jake LaRavia on Sunday night was the most egregious we've seen in quite some time.
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Midway through the third quarter, the Los Angeles Lakers' forward took the ball up the court and looked to feed LeBron James with a pass in a mismatch situation. As LaRavia gathered the basketball to make the pass, James wasn't ready to receive it, so he simply started dribbling again.
The Memphis Grizzlies' bench, the announcers, and everyone inside Crypto.com Arena saw the double-dribble. Everyone, that is, except the referee staring directly at the play.
LaRavia, who spent three seasons with Memphis, knew he got away with a double-dribble as well. He hesitated after realizing what he did, but carried on after not hearing a whistle. During the next stoppage, he was caught laughing, likely in disbelief that he got away with a play that is whistled in every rec league in the world.
LaRavia went on to have a big night for Los Angeles, scoring 26 points in the Lakers' come-from-behind, 120-114 win. It was the Lakers' second win over Memphis in three days.