It was an infamous moment in NBA history, but an iconic one nonetheless.
LeBron James’ journey to becoming a four-time NBA Champion happened during his time with the Miami Heat.
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He learned how to win, how to be disciplined, and how to overcome adversity in South Beach. Dwayne Wade helped him accomplish it as his brother, but James’ quest would not be complete without a little controversy. Miami took on the Indiana Pacers in the 2012-13 Eastern Conference Finals. Both teams had talented rosters as the Pacers had an emerging Paul George and Lance Stephenson. Indiana was physical as it took Miami to seven games, but the Heat earned the 4-3 edge. A moment happened during the series as Stephenson blew James’ ear in one of the games. He was trying to agitate James and get under his skin, but it did not work. James was locked in for that series the Pacers, pushing his team into the Finals versus the Spurs.
It has been 12 years since the moment, but Stephenson remembers it vividly. He appeared on the “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast with Carmelo Anthony to talk about it. Stephenson hilariously recalled a bar moment where a Heat fan got revenge for James.
“THAT’S HOW LEBRON FELT, YOU LIKE THAT!?”
Lance Stephenson almost lost in when a crazy fan blew in his ear at the club as revenge for LeBron 🤣 pic.twitter.com/YEgxJNOs81
— 7PM in Brooklyn (@7PMinBrooklyn) July 22, 2025
“I ain’t gonna lie, yo I regret it sometimes,” Stephenson said about blowing in James’ ear.
“I was at a club, so I came in the club late. I ain’t wanna get no section. I ain’t wasting no money, so I go to the bar. Some drunk dude comes and blows in my ear. I’m like ‘yo, you crazy boy?’ That’s how LeBron felt. How you like that? I was about to go HAM, bro. It was like the hard spit blow. I was about to go crazy on him. I was about to go crazy on this guy.”
The fan got his revenge, but it was a learning lesson for Stephenson. As a Brooklyn (N.Y.) native, Stephenson enjoyed 14 seasons in the league — including three different stints with the Pacers.
Stephen M. Smith is a writer for Ball Exclusives. You can follow him on X via @CoachingMSmith.
