TMZ: Video Reportedly Surfaces of Jordan Crawford Dunk on LeBron James (Update: Video Now Available)

While doing a quick check of TMZ for any updates on the Ben Roethlisberger case, I came upon a tasty little nugget for all of the basketball and LeBron James fans (and haters) out there.

Apparently, TMZ has found video of the dunk and plans to air it this evening on their TV show and on their website. According to the post, the video on TMZ.com at 6:45 PM ET this evening. They do include a grainy, almost intelligible picture (left) as proof of the video’s existence.

All I have to say is: finally.

Let’s just get the video out there, watch it, and move on.  That’s what Nike (and LeBron, if he really was involved in “Dunktapegate“) should have done in the first place. They created the controversy.  I don’t think anyone would have thought twice about it if the video had just been shown when it happened.

Anyway, we’ll get to see it tonight. Then we can put this story to bed.

Update: So much for waiting until 6:45 tonight.  The video is now available at TMZ.com, but not in am embeddable format, so click the link.  

My reaction is…that’s it? Looks like a pretty standard in-your-face dunk to me, the kind that can happen to anyone playing helpside defense when the on-the-ball defense is lazy, which is what appears to have happened. Why Nike and/or LeBron would make a big deal out of this is totally beyond me.  I thought maybe he got knocked to the ground, started crying, or had spontaneously morphed into a 5′10 white guy or something. Talk about making something a bigger story than it ever needed to be.

Oh well. At least former Hoosier Jordan Crawford got some nice pub out of it. And if the talented guard can get his head on straight at Xavier, he certainly has NBA potential. I wish him well…and I wish LeBron and Nike and little better sense and foresight next time before overreacting. Geez.

Also, here is Daulerio’s entertaining backstory on how Deadspin, ESPN, and others almost got their hands on the video before being outbid by TMZ.

Another update: WTF? Now another video has emerged of the Jordan Crawford dunk on LeBron James, this one much higher quality than the TMZ version. It is at eBaum Nation, and they actually allowed it to be embedded. Check it out.

* – Photo credit: TMZ

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