Evolution of Lakers’ LeBron James new pregame ritual after years of iconic chalk toss originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Is LeBron James’ chalk toss ritual, which began around 2003, just a superstition?
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King James started his iconic chalk toss or powder toss during his rookie season (2003). He elucidated that he simply threw the powder into the air while applying it at the scorer’s table, and when fans began to enjoy it, it became a symbol. On his pregame chalk toss ritual, James said:
“I started to really set my mind and get focused on what was at task when I started to do it. Going on the road, sometimes I get booed, so I love it. At home, they go crazy.”
Once, former Lakers forward Anthony Davis and former Miami Heat guard Mario Chalmers divulged that James would lay out his entire uniform – from jersey to socks – on the floor like a chalk outline. No one was allowed to step on it, and if someone did by mistake, he would demand a completely new set from the equipment manager.
“One guy I know, the greatest of all time, if not the greatest,” Davis said. “So once he gets to the arena, takes his entire uniform, from the jersey, the shorts, the socks, the shoes, everything, and lays it on the floor.”
“That man will lay his whole outfit on the floor before the game and make sure everybody walks around it,” Chalmers said. “One time the media walked over the jersey, he snapped, and he made the equipment manager go get him a whole new jersey.”
James has stopped and restarted the ritual multiple times. For example, in 2014, he asked fans on Twitter whether he should continue:
“My fans here’s your chance to vote and tell me either to do it or not.”
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The pregame ritual, still ongoing in the 2025–26 season, has evolved from his old individual routine. Now, Lakers players form a circle, LeBron tosses the ball high, and when he catches it, the entire team does a deep squat together.
On Feb. 10, when LeBron was out due to arthritis, Bronny James took over the responsibility of tossing the ball.
In 2012, the NBA imposed a 90-second limit on pregame rituals to speed up the game.
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Rui Hachimura hilariously botches LeBron’s Lakers pre-game ritual replacement, watch players die laughing:
The biggest critique came from a 15× NBA All-Star
The ritual originally began with Michael Jordan, who used it to joke with broadcasters. Kevin Garnett adopted it as a way to get “revenge” on the media. But KG believes James’ version is a “shame.”
“Later on, LeBron would take the move and put his own spin on it,” KG said. “Load up even more than I did before flinging it high in the air. People love it. It gets the fans hyped. But me? Whenever I see that, I think, What a shame.”
“I load my hands up with chalk, way more than I needed. I’d fling it at them and then clap my hands—but the clap was really just to hide the fling. The stuff would go everywhere, all over their computers.”
Currently, in the 2025–26 season, 22-time NBA All-Star King James is averaging 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game.
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