The History of This Four-Time MVP’s Chalk Toss

It’s become one of the most iconic pre-game rituals in all of sports. That moment when The King, The Chosen One, and the NBA’s all-time leader in points, makes his way to the scoring table and announces his entrance into the game. While the trend may have started for the simplest of reasons, there’s no doubt it has captured the attention of millions of fans around the world, with the star still doing it as of his most recent postseason. So, what is the history of Lebron James’ “chalk toss”, and more importantly, why has it stuck around so long?

Lebron’s famous trend began in 2003 during his rookie season. While Lebron hasn’t revealed much on why he began doing it, he has stated he did it initially to set his “mind and get focused on what was at hand”.  It should also be noted that rubbing chalk on one’s hands before an athletic event is pretty common, as the chalk adds an extra level of grip to an athlete’s hands to reduce sweating and slipping. Gymnasts do it to grip their bars and beams better, and weightlifters do it to better hold onto their weights. 

For basketball players, adding chalk to their hands can give them extra grip on the ball. This allows them to pass the ball with better precision or to avoid losing control of the ball while dribbling through defenders. As someone who has historically driven to the basket while also dishing out passes throughout the court, adding chalk to his hands makes perfect sense for Lebron. There is also a belief that Lebron may have done this pre-game ritual to pay tribute to his idol, Michael Jordan, who also did a similar chalk toss, but neither of the two players has confirmed the theory.

Now, while Lebron has done the chalk toss for the majority of his career, that hasn’t always been the case. During his four years in Miami, the chalk toss was practically absent from Lebron’s routine. This could be due to the star’s desire to change focus and routine in the new market, or maybe it was for public relations reasons. Regardless, during his return to Cleveland in 2014, Lebron left it up to the fans to decide if he should resume the trend, a question the fans gave a resounding yes to.

To this day, one will still find the 40-year-old veteran throwing chalk up into the air as if it were 2003. While the ritual may have started as a mental check, or an added layer of grip, or perhaps a homage to his idol, it’s no secret that the toss has become much more than that. It is a symbol. A reckoning for his team, his opponents, and the fans, that the game has begun. As Lebron said, "I don't remember the first time I started it — when I started to do it — but I felt the fans start to embrace it”, and they have. Broadcasts still show it, the crowds themselves partake in it, and the toss itself still fills the internet with clips from fans eager to post their footage of the iconic moment. It may be just a chalk toss, but to us, it’s much, much more.