LeBron James Apologizes For Lance Stephenson Shove With Old-School Joke

LeBron James hasn’t been out of school too long to know when the teacher has caught him red-handed.

The Cleveland Cavaliers superstar issued an apt apology Sunday night for the technical foul he received during his team’s 104-100 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series.

The Cavs trailed the Pacers by two points midway through the fourth quarter when James shoved Lance Stephenson, who was following him closely as he walked toward Cleveland’s bench. Stephenson dramatically fell, prompting the referees to call a technical foul on James.

James apologized for the incident with Stephenson after the game but did so using a perfect analogy from his school days.

“I should know better,” James said during a postgame press conference. “I’ve been dealing with this since elementary (school). It’s like I tell you a joke and then you laugh and you get caught. That’s what happened. Lance told me a joke, I laughed and the teacher caught me. Now I have to go see the principal. That’s what happened.”

Well played.

The Cavs will host the Pacers on Wednesday in Game 5.