LeBron James was not at his best on Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers.
Through three quarters of play, James had yet to score a field goal—just the second time in his career he entered the fourth quarter in such a slump.
Luckily for the Lakers, LeBron’s game came through right when it was needed most, as he tipped in a missed shot at the buzzer to steal the win from Indiana.
On the call for the game was ESPN’s Mark Jones, who used James’s odd night of shooting to channel Ja Rule in what is surely the best call of the NBA season thus far.
"LeBron James, not always there when you call, but always on time!" Jones tagged the moment.
"LeBron James, not always there when you call, but always on time!" - Mark Jones on the call for James' buzzer-beating tip-in against the Pacers! pic.twitter.com/8git6srMXT
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 27, 2025
Jones was referencing Ja Rule’s 2001 banger “Always on Time,” featuring Ashanti. By technicality of the lyrics, Jones might have actually been channeling Ashanti.
Either way, just lovely stuff.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Play-by-Play Man Mark Jones Channeled Ja Rule While Calling LeBron James Game-Winner.
