LeBron James outwitted the Houston Rockets’ transition defense in a single sequence on Friday night.
The Lakers eliminated the Rockets with a 98-78 win, responding after back-to-back losses in Games 4 and 5. With 6:56 left in the first quarter, James delivered one of the highlights of the night on an assist to Rui Hachimura that was promptly dubbed the “pass of the decade” by some who witnessed the sequence.
LeBron James Drops ‘Insane’ Assist as Lakers Dominate Rockets in Game 6
The play materialized out of complete chaos. Amen Thompson drove to the rim and Deandre Ayton batted the ball away. The center then pushed the ball to James, who stopped the pass with one hand and prevented it from going out of bounds. Then, James caught the ball off the bounce and whipped a one-handed pass to a cutting Hachimura, who threw down a transition dunk.
James’ audacious assist immediately sparked some strong reactions from the NBA world, with one user declaring, “THIS IS THE PASS OF THE DECADE 🤯”
THIS IS THE PASS OF THE DECADE 🤯
(via @MindOfBron) pic.twitter.com/gERXz8wxcI
— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) May 2, 2026
Meanwhile, another user remarked, “LeBron is f***in nuts 😭 him & Luka be in their BAG with the insane passes man.”
One user posted, “LeBron zipped that mf.”
LeBron zipped that mf pic.twitter.com/dNMKutN8f1
— ً ً (@MindOfBron) May 2, 2026
The official NBA account also celebrated the pass, captioning the highlight, “LEBRON FIRES IT TO RUI FOR THE SLAM 💥”
LEBRON FIRES IT TO RUI FOR THE SLAM 💥
LAL/HOU Game 6 is LIVE on Prime! pic.twitter.com/rvOoAPEHgD
— NBA (@NBA) May 2, 2026
Another user reacted, “Lebron holy sh*t 😭😭😭😭”
“LeBron is showing off his best passes in the biggest games,” one user wrote.
“You don’t think that LeBron one hand catch to 4 seam fastball pass to Rui for the dunk was f***ing crazy?” another user remarked.
After surrendering Game 4 in a brutal blowout and dropping a frustrating Game 5 on their home floor, Los Angeles refused to buckle under pressure and took care of business in Game 6.
The Lakers clearly spent the last 48 hours figuring out how to deal with Houston jumping the passing lanes, as James had just 3 turnovers and the teams as a whole recorded just 10.
With Luka Dončić sidelined due to his hamstring injury and Austin Reaves still finding his feet after an extended injury absence of his own, James put the Lakers on his back once again. The 41-year-old finished Game 6 with an impressive stat line of 28 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, and a pair of 3s in 37 minutes.
Hachimura, too, stepped up, contributing 21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block on an efficient 8-of-15 from the field and 5-of-7 from 3-point range.
The Lakers exceeded all expectations in this series, and now they will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in Round 2. Game 1 is on Tuesday, May 5.
