Why does Lebron James do the chalk toss before games? Origin and meaning of the tradition

The ritual is never altered, it’s always the same, performed before (almost) every game since he started making a name for himself in the NBA with Cleveland. As the players take to the court, all eyes are on LeBron James as he makes his way to one of the midcourt flanks. There, a small bottle of powdered chalk is waiting for him. He picks up the bottle, shakes the chalk into his hand then launches the powder high into the air, claps and gestures to the crowd with arms outstretched.

LeBron’s pre-game chalk toss: an NBA classic

It’s a simple, visual action which never fails to get the crowd going - which let’s face it, is the whole idea. In fact, it’s the big pre-game formality that every fan looks forward to the most. The whole arena falls silent in anticipation, mobile phones aloft recording the decisive moment then, as the chalky white powder dissipates into the air, the whole room errupts. The mood is set.

The chalk toss tradition has become so synonymous with LeBron, so iconic, that it was the image selected when the player graced his first NBA 2K cover during his final year with the Heat in 2014.

So where does it comes from and what is it supposed to represent? “I don’t remember the first time I started it, when I started to do it” the player confessed in an interview with the league a few years ago. “But I felt the fans start to embrace it. I started to really set my mind and get focused on what was at task when I started to do it. On the road sometimes I get booed, so I love it. At home, they go crazy. I don’t know what made me start doing it but it just happens sometimes. Great things just happen sometimes”

A tribute to Michael Jordan?

One of the theories that have been put forward by fans is that the chalk toss is LeBron’s own personal nod to his boyhood hero Michael Jordan. In his 90s heyday, Jordan would occasionally apply chalk to his hands before the game - a practice which many athletes employ to improve grip.

The Chicago Bulls star would approach the commentary positions, pat his hands with chalk then clap and watch the cloud of powder puff up into the face of former Bulls coach-turned commentator, Johnny “Red” Kerr.

When and why did LeBron James stop doing the chalk toss?

There was a time when LeBron ditched his chalk toss ritual. Fans noticed that he stopped doing it during his first season in Miami. He was portrayed by some as a traitor for leaving Cleveland but on his return in 2014, he left it up to the fans whether the chalk toss should be resumed.

In an interview with ESPN, LeBron invited fans to take part in a poll on Twitter. The response was unequivocal - 95 percent voted in favor of bringing the chalk toss ritual back.

It was duly resurrected before his first game back, the 95-90 defeat to the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena on 30 October 2014 to the delight of Cavs fans

During his time in Cleveland, a huge 10-story billboard featuring LeBron, head back, arms outstretched, performing the chalk toss with the slogan: “We are all witnesses” hung outside the Quicken Loans Arena. It was removed when he left to join the Heat in 2010, reinstalled when he returned then taken down definitively when James signed a four-year deal with the Lakers in 2018.

He took the chalk toss with him to LA, where it is as popular and effective as ever.