NBA Fans lost their minds after LeBron James delivered one of the loudest moments of the NBA Cup quarterfinals, even if the night ended in a loss. @BleacherReport set the tone when they posted,
“40-YEAR OLD LEBRON POSTER ON 7’1 LUKE KORNET [exploding head emoji][fire emoji] UNREAL.”
40-YEAR OLD LEBRON POSTER ON 7’1 LUKE KORNET [fire emoji]
UNREAL. pic.twitter.com/ekPdfMwjsR
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 11, 2025
The clip showed LeBron rising up and hammering the dunk, then screaming toward the crowd as the arena exploded.
From there, NBA Fans took over the timeline. @Oh_Jay0 delivered the line everyone kept repeating: “nobody really inbound faster than who just got dunked on. [laughing emoji]”
Fans joked that Kornet treated the inbound like a speed drill just to reset after getting caught in the highlight of the night.
Then @Hightv added a different flavor with a GIF captioned, “LeBron after the game..” showing someone being wheelchaired, giving NBA Fans another round of jokes about LeBron putting every ounce of energy into that one play.
The reaction made something clear: NBA Fans still love these moments from LeBron because they do not happen often at his age. A dunk like this isn’t just a nice clip. It becomes a reminder that even at 40, he can surprise a seven-footer with force and timing most players never had at any point in their careers.
But the highlight did not change the result. The Lakers fell 119–132, ending their run in the 2025 NBA Cup quarterfinals. NBA Fans praised the dunk, but many also noted how strange it felt to witness a moment that good in a game that slipped away.
Still, for NBA Fans on social media, the play owned the night. The score faded fast, but the poster lived on.
NBA Fans React After Lakers Eliminated Despite LeBron’s Monster Dunk
NBA Fans kept the jokes rolling once the @Lakers page posted the final score graphic showing a 119–132 loss to the Spurs, confirming the team’s exit from the NBA Cup quarterfinals. The wild part: the viral LeBron poster came from this same game. That contrast shaped the entire reaction thread.
Final pic.twitter.com/HqhhoO0T8p
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 11, 2025
@EthicalHoopz replied, “All this just to get whooped [laughing emoji],” using the exact frame of LeBron’s scream over Kornet.
NBA Fans knew the dunk was the best thing the Lakers produced all night, but they also knew it did not change anything on the scoreboard.
Then @WillieBBurner piled on with, “The Lakers defense tonight:” paired with a photo of a gate held shut by a paper padlock. NBA Fans treated it like a perfect summary.
San Antonio got whatever they wanted on offense, and the joke connected because of how often the Lakers lost track of shooters and cutters.
These posts show how NBA Fans follow both the highs and lows of a game with equal passion. The dunk became the clip of the night, but the loss became the talking point that stayed with the fans after the final buzzer.
The frustration also came from what was at stake. Losing in the NBA Cup quarterfinals means the Lakers will not advance to the semifinals, and NBA Fans pointed out how the defensive struggles outweighed even a highlight that shook the floor.
In the end, NBA Fans balanced praise and humor the way they always do. They celebrated LeBron’s play, roasted the defense, and made sure the timeline had enough jokes to last until the next game.
For more sports content
Follow me on X at @ErnestLeo, and follow us at @WisconsinHeroics, @HardwoodHeroics and @GridironHeroics. You can also reach out to Ernest Hernandez via email at ernestleo@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Ernest also manages a YouTube account called Sports On Air with over 108 thousand subscribers while the Facebook counterpart boasts 184 thousand followers. The channel contains interviews predominantly from the Philippine Basketball Association. They can be reached at sportsonairph@gmail.com.
