Lance Stephenson Reflects on Infamous LeBron Ear Blow

Former NBA player says he wanted to get under LeBron's skin to win

Published on Feb. 6, 2026

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In a recent interview, former NBA player Lance Stephenson discussed his infamous move of blowing in LeBron James' ear during a playoff game in 2014. Stephenson said he felt like everyone respected LeBron too much and he wanted to find a way to get under his skin in order to win the game.

Why it matters

Stephenson's ear-blowing incident became one of the most memorable and talked-about moments in NBA playoff history, as it highlighted the intense rivalry and competitiveness between Stephenson's Pacers and LeBron's Heat teams at the time.

The details

Stephenson explained that back then, LeBron was virtually untouchable and would often get foul calls in his favor, so Stephenson felt he needed to find an unconventional way to try to throw LeBron off his game. He said he didn't feel LeBron was a "regular person" that everyone respected too much, so he wanted to do something to get in his head.

  • The ear-blowing incident occurred during a 2014 NBA playoff game between Stephenson's Pacers and LeBron's Heat.

The players

Lance Stephenson

A former NBA player who is best known for blowing in LeBron James' ear during a playoff game in 2014.

LeBron James

One of the greatest NBA players of all time, who was playing for the Miami Heat at the time of the infamous ear-blowing incident.

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What they’re saying

“I feel like everybody respected him too much. I'm like, bro, he's a regular person. I wanted to win so bad. And you know, back in the day, you couldn't even touch him or he getting a foul. So, I was trying to figure out a way like…”

— Lance Stephenson (Yahoo Sports)

The takeaway

Stephenson's unconventional tactics to get under LeBron's skin, while controversial at the time, highlighted the intense competitiveness and rivalry between the two teams and players during that era of the NBA playoffs.