LeBron James hits out at NBA rivals as LA Lakers season collapses

LeBron James has hit out at NBA officials for missed calls, while aiming a cheeky dig at some of his rivals, by insisting he needs to ‘learn how to flop’. The 37-year-old limped off the court with a groin injury as the Lakers fell to another loss despite James’ 30 points against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.The Lakers find themselves with a 2-9 record on the season and James is averaging 24.9 points per contest. However, the four-time MVP is averaging just 4.8 free throws per game – the lowest in his 20-year career – which is concerning given his troubles from three-point distance.Over his last four matches against the Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans, James has attempted 16 free throws. He made just seven of those; a 43.7% free throw rate. After the 114-100 loss to the Cavaliers, James revealed referees had privately approached him and let him know they had missed some calls in the defeat to his former team. The 18-time All-Star simply shrugged it off as the standard he has faced in his illustrious career – but there is a key difference in 2022.READ MORE: LeBron James ‘won’t be allowed’ to break unprecedented NBA record LeBron James called out referees for missing foul calls when he drives to the paint (Image: GETTY)Throughout James’ career, he has been able to dominate the paint and score at will while also being useful from the perimeter. With the Lakers suffering offensive struggles, James needs every opportunity to score he can get. Despite the slow start to the season, James is undeterred and doesn’t want to switch up his game. Instead, he shifted attention towards the referees and his opponents, saying: ‘I love physicality but I also would like for the whistle to be blown when I get hit. ‘Four free throws tonight…I look at a lot of guys tonight, shoot a lot of jump shots and they go nine, 13 times to the free throw line. I gotta learn how to flop or something.DON’T MISSNBA star Edwards hits out at Minnesota team-mates in savage rantNBA chiefs fear Irving could retire following Brooklyn Nets suspensionNBA legend announces he will continue career in Taiwan The Los Angeles Lakers have slipped to 2-9 following an awful start to the season (Image: GETTY)