Hornets’ Lance Stephenson ‘Slap-Flops’ In Warriors Game, And It Worked


Perhaps, you’ve seen Lance Stephenson taunting LeBron James or even flopping like the best of NBA players. But chances are you’ve never seen a maneuver like the one the Charlotte Hornets guard pulled off over the weekend. During a game against the red-hot Golden State Warriors, Stephenson pulled a slap-flop trick out of his hat, and it was so convincing, he sold it to the refs and drew the foul. Arguably, Lance’s flop was so other-worldly, MJ may have given it a nod.

It all went down in the first quarter when the mother of all flops occurred. Draymond Green tossed a pass from the wing to Klay Thompson, who had just broke free on a pick-and-roll and was setting up for a long jumper. Stephenson fought around defenders to deny Thompson the shot, but he bumped into Harrison Barnes who was cutting to the lane.

It gets strange from here, but during the collision, Lance Stephenson’s left hand, with palm open, was accidentally thrust into his own face. And that’s when the magic happened. Instantaneously — or instinctively — the Hornets guard fell to the court in dramatic fashion, after having slapped himself. Apparently, the contact was enough to draw a flurry of whistles from unsuspecting refs, who called the foul on Barnes — an instant Warriors turnover. The call gave Charlotte the ball back.

The announcers appeared oblivious initially, but eagle-eyed social media users called it another flop by the master himself. The slap-flop was so theatrically convincing that Lance Stephenson appeared to be shocked at having sold it to the officials — hook, line and sinker. In the end, the slap and flopping maneuver didn’t earn the Hornets the “W;” Charlotte lost to the Warriors on the road, 112-87. Check out the video above for your viewing pleasure. How does it rank with the top-flops in the NBA?

[Image via: FTW]

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