The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing some tune-up basketball in Brazil. The NBA has asked LeBron James and the gang not to do the Three Goggles celebration after knocking down a trey. And not because the gig is super played out and really stupid.
No, it’s because doing that gesture in Brazil could land a dude in some hot water.
Holding up the “three-sign” or the “three-goggles” in a certain way while in Brazil could be mistaken for “f— you” or “f— off,” I was informed.
The NBA sent the Cavs and Heat a memo with a list of questionable gestures that shouldn’t be used in Brazil, we’re told. The last thing anybody wants is for the stands to clear immediately after a player nails a 3-pointer.
…
James Jones, the Cavaliers’ 3-point marksman, says he was not made aware of the memo and knew nothing about the gesture being an insult in Brazil.
“Hey, that’s why I just salute after I hit one,” James said. “That’s not offending anyone, right?”
Look, I’m going to sound 100 years old here, but why not just run back and play defense without doing an attention-grabbing routine? Knocking down a triple isn’t exactly the hardest thing to do in sports.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go study my newspaper’s racing form and yell at youths to get off my lawn.
[H/T: Cleveland Plain Dealer]