"Went Through All 5 Stages of Grief": NBA Fans Left Wheezing After LeBron James, Saddiq Bey's Diabolical Reactions to $33M PF's Blunder

LeBron James and Saddiq Bey went viral on Sunday for their reactions to Lakers power forward Maxi Kleber's airballed layup. The German, now in the final year of his $33,000,000 contract with LA, had one of the most hilarious lowlights in recent memory in the second half.

Kleber was wide open after blitzing past Bey at the rim, but instead of dropping the ball in the net, he inadvertently hit the rim with his hand. The ball fell into Bey's hands. James, who was on the sidelines after resting on the front end of a back-to-back, couldn't stop laughing.

Meanwhile, cameras also captured Bey's expression under the rim, who was in disbelief at Kleber's unusual airball. Here's the clip:

Fans immediately noticed LeBron James and Saddiq Bey's reactions, which left them wheezing online. Here's how they reacted:

SportsMaverick

@SportsMaverickX

Bron went through all 5 stages of grief before the ball even hit the floor 😭😭

aura pharma

@jowelbryan

LeBron James was like "all my life I've current such frauds to the finals"

LaLa🏦

@LalaMetaX

King james has given us a new meme

Rzam

@Rick_0991

Homeboy couldn’t believe what he just witnessed 🤣

The Lie Lamaa 🏹

@_TheLieLamaa

LeBron watching Kleber smoke that layup like “Bro… I’m 40 and still doing everything myself?” Pure father-disappointment energy.

Hineycoin.sol

@hineycoin

Lebron's reaction? How about Saddiq's reaction under the rim??? hahahahaha

The refs gave Maxi Kleber some grace after calling the foul against him and giving him two free throws. However, it could have easily been an and-1 if not for the blunder he caused. Nevertheless, it didn't matter much as LA went on to win 133-121. Kleber played 13 minutes and scored two points, coming from the free throw line on that play.

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Maxi Kleber has been playing key minutes for Lakers since LeBron James' return

Maxi Kleber's lowlight on Sunday doesn't do justice to his impact for the Lakers. Since LeBron James' return on Nov. 18, Kleber has played all five games for LA. In some games, he's earned key rotation minutes in the James-led second units.

Kleber's impact is beyond the box scores. The 6-foot-10 big man has given the Lakers' interior defense a boost in lineups next to centers Deandre Ayton or Jaxson Hayes. His size, screening and gravity at the 3-point line have been optimized in his minutes.

He's also being deployed as the third center in some lineups when Ayton or Hayes aren't in the game. The Lakers needed such a presence, especially with Jarred Vanderbilt struggling to command the opposing team's attention on offense.