David Kalb, warehouse manager, man of the people, defeated LeBron James in a game of H-O-R-S-E yesterday.

LeBron James could be excused for his poor shooting from behind the arc, and for being blown out in a game of H-O-R-S-E with a warehouse worker in a beach exhibition.

…

Kalb’s bag of trick shots including one where he bounced the ball very high in the lane, raced around the goal post, caught the ball as it came down, and tossed it in the basket. James missed his try, and after losing the first game, declared best two-of-three. Each made, among other shots, left-handed free throws, but Kalb went on to win the second game as well.

Before I lionize Kalb as a brave champion of the proletariat, it’s important to note that the game did not appear to adhere to several common rules of H-O-R-S-E.  At one point in the video (via TBL), James performs a backwards dunk.  Kalb responds by setting himself in a completely different position on the court, running, and performing a standard front-facing dunk.

To gain a clearer perspective on the matter, I reached out to Jerry Pflug, who is a person I just made up.  He is the chairman of the International H-O-R-S-E Rules Committee, which is also something I just made up.  I asked him for clarification on the rules.

Keep reading →