LeBron James was sidelined by the intense heat in the AT&T Center on Thursday night, as the air conditioning was broken.
He was visibly impacted by the heat--other players were, too, but not to the same extent--and left game 1 of the NBA Finals for good with four minutes left.
The Heat ended up losing 110-95.
James could barely walk after making a layup, needing help to get off the court.
LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat is helped off the court after cramping up against the San Antonio Spurs during Game One of the 2014 NBA Finals at the AT&T Center on June 5, 2014 in San Antonio, Texas. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
People on the Internet quickly picked up on what was happening and started sharing pictures of themselves being carried by friends, mimicking what happened.
Other sports players also weighed in, such as former Miami Dolphins star Jonathan Martin, who said via Twitter that James should “drink a Gatorado & get out there.”
Gatorade also got in on the action, answering a tweet from a user: “The person cramping wasn’t our client. Our athletes can take the heat.”
James claims that he wanted to get back in the game but Heat coach Erik Spoelstra wouldn’t allow him to, he told USA Today.
“I was going to try to give it a go and Spo said ‘No,’” James said. “It sucks at this point in time in the season.”
