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LeBron James miffed at ref, no-call after Scoot Henderson left him bloodied: 'I give up man'

LeBron James is never shy to call out what he deems as officiating malpractice.

This was true on Monday, a day after Portland Trail Blazers rookie Scoot Henderson left him bloodied in a 134-110 Los Angeles Lakers win. This time, James let his feelings be known on Instagram.

James posted an image of his right shoulder with three bloody claw marks taken from the third quarter of Sunday's game alongside a caption:

"Look right at me and said 'I didn't see a foul!'" James wrote of the official. "Man what! I give up man."

LeBron James IG
LeBron James IG

The evidence is compelling. Those scratch marks didn't manifest out of the ether.

Here's the play in question. Midway through the third quarter, James attacked the basket in transition. Henderson met him under the rim, and James lost control of the ball. The ball bounced out of bounds, and officials ruled the play a turnover on James.

James was exasperated in the moment and pleaded with referee Mousa Dagher for a foul call while pointing to his shoulder. The TV camera then zoomed in on a trainer dressing James' freshly scratched shoulder.

LeBron James shows referee Mousa Dagher his bloodied shoulder. (Gary A. Vasquez/Reuters)
LeBron James shows referee Mousa Dagher his bloodied shoulder. (Gary A. Vasquez/Reuters)

Replay from the baseline shows Henderson clawing James' shoulder with his left hand.

James is quick to complain and certainly doesn't call out when officials make errors in his favor. But there's little doubt in this instance that James was fouled, and the officials missed it. Fortunately for the Lakers, it made no difference in a blowout win in a regular-season game.