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[Saba Sports News] Jaren Jackson Jr. wasn’t exactly subtle on Saturday night.
During the Memphis Grizzlies’ 134-127 loss to the Lakers, the All-Star big man had a cringe-worthy flop that ended in a rare technical foul. In the third quarter, Jackson rotated over to contest a corner three from Lakers guard Gabe Vincent when he caught a light push from LeBron James.
Rather than brush it off, Jackson threw himself to the floor in dramatic fashion — right in front of referee Tyler Ford.
Ford wasn’t buying it. He immediately whistled Jackson for a flopping technical, one of the rare in-game calls of its kind. Vincent missed the shot, but the Lakers capitalized anyway, cashing in the free throw and taking a 102-99 lead into the fourth. They never looked back, notching their 45th win of the season.
In-game flopping techs are still relatively uncommon, with the NBA more often handing them out after video reviews. The first in-game flop T was issued less than two years ago, and they’ve been sparingly used since.
Adding a bit of irony to the moment? Jackson — a former Defensive Player of the Year — was hit with the call after selling contact from none other than LeBron James, a player with his own well-documented history of flops.
Sometimes the flop gets the call. This time, it got Jackson a whistle he definitely didn’t want.
