“I regret it” – Lance Stephenson hilariously recalls LeBron James fan hitting him with signature ear-blow in wild nightclub revenge

During one infamous moment in the 2014 NBA playoffs, Lance Stephenson tried to play mind games with then-Miami Heat star LeBron James by blowing in his ear. This moment, which happened in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, has been replayed countless times on TV and on social media, but it does have its drawbacks for the former Indiana Pacers guard.

In a clip from Tuesday’s episode of the “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast, Stephenson told a story that showed how the ear-blowing incident came back to haunt him off the court.

“I ain’t gon’ lie, I regret it,” Stephenson said on the podcast. “I was at a club…I go to the bar, some drunk dude come and…” Stephenson then makes a blowing sound, drawing laughter from the podcast hosts.

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Stephenson recalled that, as he felt the "hard spit blow" on his ear that night, he felt empathy for his playoff opponent all those years ago.

"I was like, 'yo, you crazy, boy?' That's how LeBron felt!" Stephenson said.

Whether or not Stephenson's mind games with James worked, the Pacers were able to overcome the Heat that night as they pulled off a 93-90 win in Game 5. Though this victory allowed Indiana to stave off elimination, Miami went on to end the series in Game 6.

That would be the last time that Stephenson made it to an NBA conference final, but fans never quite forgot his ear-blowing tactic, which has since been immortalized as a meme.

"I'm in the locker room going ham": Lance Stephenson recalls his extra motivation to defeat Knicks in 2013 Eastern Conference semis

In 2013, Stephenson went up against another all-time great in Carmelo Anthony as the Pacers faced the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Stephenson, a New York native, recalled how fired up he was to go up against his hometown team in that series.

"Whatever it took, I was not going to lose, whatever it took," he said on the podcast. "I'm in the locker room and I'm like, 'Yo, we better not lose, I don't give a f***! PG, look at me!' I'm in the locker room going ham." [Timestamp - 49:05]

Stephenson added that he drew extra motivation from a friend who doubted Indiana's chances, saying that Knicks stars like Carmelo Anthony and JR Smith kept "cooking" the Pacers. Stephenson ended up having the last laugh as his team eliminated the Knicks in six games.

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Simoun Victor Redoblado

Simoun Victor Redoblado is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with over 12 years of experience writing for publications such as Collider, ALL-STAR Magazine, and Sir Charles in Charge.

Simoun has a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education, Major in English and Minor in journalism. Thanks to the journalism courses that he took, Simoun understood the fundamentals of journalistic storytelling in the context of sports writing.

Passionate for the UP Fighting Maroons, Simoun is a fan of the NBA, PBA, UAAP, and FIBA.
His childhood team was the Chicago Bulls and Simoun was a longtime supporter of the Houston Rockets because his friends would say he looked like Yao Ming.

Simoun loves the systematic, tactical movement of the ball and the players, the stories behind each individual competing on the hardcourt and most of all, how basketball is a sport for life and all its struggles and lessons.

A father of two, Simoun spends his free time with his kids.

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