NBA referees can be very funny. It's the endearing legacy of Billy Crystal's Forget Paris. It's just that they have never been under a more powerful microscope, and social media is not particularly kind to them, so they need to affect a steely exterior.
During Friday night's Los Angeles Lakers-Los Angeles Clippers tilt, Sha’Rae Mitchell broke character after getting drilled by a deflected James Vanderbilt pass by striking a LeBron James-approved power shrug.
It was a humorous moment and ESPN's social team cooked up some music to make it really pop.
Refs showing more personality should definitely be a thing. And perhaps it's becoming a thing as on the same night Bill Kennedy allowed himself to be cracked up by Jalen Brunson during a video review explanation.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as An NBA Referee Hit LeBron’s Iconic ‘Shrug’ Celebration After Taking an Unexpected Hit.
