It was just another regular season game at the Staples Center (or, as it’s now called, the Crypto.com Arena), and the Lakers were up against their rivals, the Golden State Warriors. The game was intense, the crowd was electric, and all eyes were glued to the court — except for LeBron’s, which were glued to his phone screen. The incident began when, during a timeout in the second quarter, LeBron pulled out his phone to snap a selfie, casually smiling and typing away as if he were on a beach vacation and not in the middle of a crucial game.

“Yo, this game is 🔥🔥🔥! Shoutout to my fans,” he tweeted, followed by several emojis and the obligatory #StriveForGreatness hashtag. Little did he know, those 280 characters would cost him his spot in the game that night.

According to the NBA’s new “No-Phones During Games” rule, players, coaches, and staff are strictly forbidden from using their phones during official matches. The rule was introduced to keep the focus on the game, promote professionalism, and, let’s be honest, prevent embarrassing mid-game tweets that could later become memes. For everyone else, it’s a common-sense guideline. But for LeBron, it apparently came as a shock.