Darius Garland ‘Copying’ LeBron James’ Chalk Toss Has Cavaliers Fans Reacting Positively

Aakash Nair | 24/12/2024
Darius Garland (L) and LeBron James (R)

Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse just witnessed its first pre-game chalk toss from a home player. The Cavaliers’ home arena was known as Quickens Loan Arena until 2019, the season after LeBron James’ second departure from the city. Therefore, the rebranded arena never got to witness James’ iconic chalk routine from a home player(LeBron did it in the 2022 All-Star Game). Until today.

Darius Garland put on a show last night before the home game against the Utah Jazz even started. With the sold-out crowd already in their seats, Garland went to the scorers table before pouring chalk into his palms and tossing it up into the air.

Cleveland fans were delighted to see their hometown King’s routine return to the stadium. But their excitement would soon be doubled when Jarrett Allen casually knocked down a backward half-court shot with one hand.

Garland dropped another nod to LeBron by chalking up 23 points during the ensuing 124-113 win over Utah. However, it was still his pre-game ritual that captured the attention of the Cavaliers community.

His chalk-toss did not go amiss as fans praised the 24-year-old for keeping this decades-old tradition alive in Cleveland.

X users echoed the same sentiment across the board, outlining James’ continuing impact on Cleveland basketball.

It’s a fitting tribute because Cleveland is where the routine was reintroduced to the world after Michael Jordan retired. It was during his rookie season in 2003 that LeBron first started tossing chalk to the air, many believe as a tribute to Michael Jordan.

James didn’t intend for it to become the phenomenon it did, but seeing the crowd’s reaction to the toss convinced him to ritualize it as he became the face of the NBA.

Most players use gym chalk before games to keep their palms dry and improve their grip. Jordan was one of the first to add his own flair to it. His Airness never tossed it into the air, but he would chalk up his hands and clap them in front of the commentators table before every game.

Whether Jordan’s unique ritual inspired LeBron or not, it’s abundantly clear that the King has had an influence on Garland.

“Bronā€™s been a big brother to me since before I was even drafted, really,” the Cavaliers guard said in 2022. “Bronā€™s always been in my ear, just telling me to be great, just go be myself, go play my game. Heā€™s told me a lot about All-Star because heā€™s done that a lot. Heā€™s given me a few pointers.”

Darius talked about their relationship heading into his first All-Star game where, naturally, he was on team LeBron. The four-time MVP had joked during the draft that he only picked Garland to make up for leaving Cleveland twice. Nonetheless, he selected the youngster ahead of players like Chris Paul and Jimmy Butler, highlighting his respect for the point guard’s game.

Post Edited By: Satagni Sikder
darius garland LeBron James

About the author

Aakash Nair

Aakash Nair

NBA journalist Aakash Nair has followed the game for nearly a decade. He believes that basketball today is just as alive during the off-season with podcasts, interviews, articles and YouTube videos constantly providing fans with new insights. Aakash closely follows the game of narratives, of who will have a breakout year and who might be on the slump. As a fan, he is interested in all the context and behind-the-scenes moves that go into making a championship contender. As a writer, he intends to bring that same context to the forefront.

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