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missing the game-winning shot, LeBron James told Cam Reddish to “be ready again.”

LeBron James told Cam Reddish to “be ready again” after he missed a game-winning shot against the Miami Heat.

He also said that another opportunity like this one will present itself.

With 8.9 seconds remaining and behind by one point against the Miami Heat, the Lakers got the ball and inbounded it to LeBron James at the top of the key.

After driving the ball on Jimmy Butler, James kicked it out to an open Cam Reddish in the corner as the defense came down on him.

Given a mulligan, James is prepared to make that same pass to Reddish and will do so again in the future.

“Be ready again because there will be many more opportunities, especially from me,” James said postgame. “I know I’m going to see two defenders late in games, so just be ready.”

Throughout his career, fans have clamored for James to play hero ball in those closing seconds, open shooters be dammed, but just like he did on Monday, James has consistently made the right basketball play over going for his glory.

“One thing about LeBron is, his whole career, he’s been killed for making the right play late games instead of shooting.

That’s who he is and everybody’s not loved that about him but that’s who he continues to be and he trusts his teammates” Reaves said after the loss regarding James’ late-game decision-making. “As soon as he walked into the locker room, he dapped everybody up and went straight to Cam and was like ‘Nah, that’s a good shot. A situation like that happens again, we’re going to give it right back to you and you’re going to knock it down.’ That’s major. That happened to me in the past with LeBron. It’s just a sense of confidence, self-belief that he bleeds into you in moments like that.”

You can go through just James’ tenure in L.A. and find countless times he has gone with the open shooter instead of taking a contested shot. Game 5 of the 2020 NBA Finals comes to mind when a wide-open Danny Green missed the series ending three.

Or the 2021 first-round matchup versus the Suns, where a struggling Kentavious Caldwell Pope opted to pass an open three and James immediately went up to his and said, “I want you to shoot.”