LeBron James shoved his own coach Tuesday night.
The Cleveland Cavaliers forward returned to action Tuesday evening after missing eight games with a knee and back injury. James scored 33 points in the 107-100 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
After being called for an offensive foul in the second quarter, Cavaliers head coach David Blatt got in between James and the referee to argue the call. That’s when James shoved him out of the way.
After the game, James said he was trying to stop his coach from receiving a technical foul.
“I got called for an offensive foul, and they said I hooked one of the Morris twins on a post-up when he grabbed me,” James said after the game. “It was a referee that was away from the play [who called it]. I was talking to Eric Lewis, one of the other refs, and Coach Blatt was getting a little fired up about it, too, and he was on his way to a technical. So I just got him up out of the way before he got a T. So, just protecting my coach.”
After the shove, Blatt looked like he knew the “King” was back.
The Cavaliers will look to snap their six-game losing streak Thursday night when they take on the Lakers in Los Angeles.
Watch: