LeBron James

LeBron James, left-handed, explains why he became a right-handed shooter

Published May. 6, 2017 12:07 p.m. ET

Brett Pollakoff

The Raptors already trailed LeBron James and the Cavaliers 2-0 in the series while playing at full strength. Once Kyle Lowry was ruled out for Game 3 with an ankle injury, they figured to pose even less of a threat, so James took it upon himself to make things a little more challenging.

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/860668656489025537

LeBron hit three left-handed floaters throughout the course of the game, one his team won by 21 points to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. This is noteworthy because he is normally a right-handed shooter, despite being left-handed in all other aspects of his life.

James explained how he chose to master his craft right-handed afterward.

https://youtu.be/XqvTTJDITqw

“I have no idea how I became a right-handed basketball player," he said. "I think maybe it was because of Michael Jordan, Penny Hardaway, guys that I looked up to growing up. Seeing those guys shoot righty, I guess I'll shoot righty. I’m pretty much a left-hand guy. I don’t take many of those shots, but I’m capable of making those shots. I work on my craft. I work on both hands."

"I just thought I guess it looked cool -- until I got older and I wish I was a lefty, because those shots look a lot better.”