In Friday’s contest in Charlotte, the Lakers suited up without LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
And around halftime, things were going as many might have projected as the Hornets led by their largest margin of 20 points. Instead, the hosts capitulated in crunch time courtesy of a monster second half from Russell Westbrook.
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With no LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Westbrook scored 30 of his 35 points in the second half including a pair of clutch 3-pointers which cut the deficit to just three points with just 52.8 seconds left.
That sparked a reaction from Hornets governer Michael Jordan, who was shocked at what seemed to be his owner’s suite at the Spectrum Center. His reaction went viral, giving birth to yet another popular meme with the NBA legend.
We all know about the original Michael Jordan meme from his Hall of Fame speech in 2009, one he referenced during his speech at Kobe Bryant’s memorial service.
Back to the game. As the seconds winded down, the Lakers cut the deficit to just one point (115-114) and Jordan couldn’t watch the game anymore. His walk-off from the suite became just as epic as his reaction a few minutes earlier.
“Michael Jordan needs to walk off what he’s seeing down the stretch from his Hornets.” 😅 pic.twitter.com/HExMCOubzr
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 29, 2023
The Hornets eventually held on to win 117-114, splitting the season series with the Lakers.
Despite the win and Westbrook’s epic second-half, it was Jordan and his reaction that became the biggest talking point from the game.
