BARBERVILLE, Fla. — DIRTcar Nationals UMP Modified point leader Nick Hoffman scored the win on the first of two Gator Qualifier Nights before one of the biggest crowds in DIRTcar Nationals and track history on night five of the 49th DIRTcar Nationals presented by Bozard Ford.

The fifth night of competition for the modified teams began the chase for a coveted starting spot in Monday’s $5,000-to-win Big Gator Championship.

Starting on the pole and staying out front for all 20 laps in the caution-free event, the four-time defending DIRTcar Nationals champion staked his claim for an unprecedented fifth consecutive title.

The 27-year-old standout and 2019 champion scored his second feature win of the week and his all-time career-leading 17th DIRTcar Nationals feature triumph.

“Being able to draw the pole and get out early and control the pace was really nice. Not having a caution during the race really helped as well,” Hoffman said after his win aboard his potent #2 Fox Shox / Elite Chassis machine. “Didn’t have too many issues with the lapped traffic; that was about the only thing that worried me. I just stuck to my lane and took my time with them and it all worked out tonight.”

By virtue of the redraw, Hoffman and Spencer Hughes started on the front row of the 20-lap feature, and as the 28-car field dove into the first corner, Hoffman emerged out in front. As Hoffman slowly pulled away from the pack, a battle for second brewed between Jason Hughes and Brian Ruhlman with both slipping past S. Hughes to jump up into the podium.

Before long, 2008 DIRTcar UMP Modified National Champion Jeff Leka joined Ruhlman and J. Hughes as the trio waged a war amongst themselves.

All the while, Hoffman continued to put real estate between himself and the rest of the pack. With seven laps to go, J. Hughes finally got past Ruhlman to take over second. But by then, Hoffman had hidden himself in lapped traffic and faced no pressure winning the feature in front of the huge crowd on hand.

Hughes settled for second for his best finish of the DIRTcar Nationals over Ruhlman, who tied his best finish of the week in third and completed the podium finishers. Leka also scored his best feature finish of the week in fourth and S. Hughes recorded his best finish of the week by completing the top five.

The finish:

Feature (20 Laps) – 1. 2-Nick Hoffman [1][$1,000]; 2. 12H-Jason Hughes [5][$600]; 3. 49-Brian Ruhlman [3][$400]; 4. 3L-Jeff Leka [9][$350]; 5. 11H-Spencer Hughes [2][$300]; 6. 99-Hunt Gossum [13][$275]; 7. 36-Kenny Wallace [6][$250]; 8. 12L-Lucas Lee [4][$225]; 9. 18L-Michael Long [11][$200]; 10. 67-Garret Stewart [17][$200]; 11. 5-Curt Spalding [7][$175]; 12. 21-Taylor Cook [19][$140]; 13. OOD-David Reutimann [8][$130]; 14. 11M-Mike McGee [16][$125]; 15. 12-Jason Gross [21][$125]; 16. 22-Dale Kelley [18][$125]; 17. 45J-Johnny Broking [22][$125]; 18. 1S-Brian Shaw [23][$125]; 19. K19-Will Krup [15][$125]; 20. 17TE-Tyler Evans [10][$125]; 21. 1-Brenden Rassel [12][$125]; 22. 17T-Michael Tarlton [14][$125]; 23. 32-Chad Roush [25][$125]; 24. O1-Bryce Nichols [27][$125]; 25. 22T-Tony Anderson [26][$125]; 26. 100-Scott Fritz [20][$100]; 27. OO-Buzzie Reutimann [24][$100]; 28. 19-Chad Bauer [28][$100];

BARBERVILLE, Fla. – Defending World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion Brad Sweet survived a wild skirmish with Ian Madsen to claim his first Outlaw win of the season Saturday night during Volusia Speedway Park’s DIRTcar Nationals.

While battling for the lead, the duo touched in turn two, launching Madsen into the new backstretch catchfence and back onto the backstretch, tearing a segment of fencing loose.

The huge crowd let out a collective gasp, then a huge sigh of relief and round of applause when Madsen emerged from his shredded KCP Racing No. 18 unhurt.

Madsen had scored a convincing win in the dash to claim the pole, then blew away from front row companion Sweet on the initial start. But the yellow flag flew when Tim Shaffer, subbing in Tony Stewart’s No. 14, went over in turn four before the lap could be scored.

The second try saw Madsen hit turn one high and Sweet go low, with the Australian winning the battle and leaving Sweet to fend off the advances of third-starting Brian Brown.

By lap six the leaders were lapping the backmarkers, with Sweet then getting a big run on Madsen into turn one when a lapped car caused him to check up slightly.

Sweet got the lead, but Madsen dug deep and tried to get it back by squeezing between Sweet and the outside wall in turn two – only to run out of room and take a vicious flip.

“I thought I had Ian cleared but I guess he thought he could make it,” offered Sweet after the race. “I feel really bad for both him and his team. After that, the lapped cars were tricky, but we survived and made some good moves late in the race that sealed the deal.”

With the track crew needing the better part of an hour to repair the catch fence, crews had time to work on their cars on the frontstretch, with many making substantial changes.

After order was restored, Sweet blew away from the field on the restart, with James McFadden in the sister KKR No. 9 shooting by Sam Hafertepe Jr. on the break and then Brown the next time around to claim second.

Fast-timer Daryn Pittman followed in his tracks and by lap 10, the podium of Sweet, McFadden and Pittman was set.

By lap 12, Sweet was back in traffic again, playing it like a virtuoso. He passed high and low, splitting side-by-side lappers when he had to, and still McFadden got a run on him through the late teens with Pittman hot on his tail.

A yellow to retrieve a stalled Kyle Larson – slowed with a shredded right-rear tire – from turn four on lap 26 finally got the leaders out of traffic. After that, Sweet was home free.

Behind them, Logan Schuchart turned in the drive of the night, advancing from 25th to place fifth in his Drydene No. 1s.

Brown hung on for fourth while Donny Schatz led a second five that included Carson Macedo, Sheldon Haudenschild, Aaron Reutzel and Hafertepe.

“I really didn’t want that last caution,” said McFadden.  “I thought I might get a run on Brad, but Brad’s always fast and he’s really good in clean air.”

Pittman, who was one of the drivers who made major changes to his Roth Motorsports No. 83 during the open red, completed the podium.

“We made some good decisions on the red that made our car even better, but some nights third is all you can do,” noted Pittman.

Jacob Allen was the B-Main winner.

To view complete race results, advance to the next page.

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies?

Joe Root, England's Test captain, has denied suggestions that Jofra Archer has been overbowled since making his international debut before last year's World Cup. Archer was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right elbow earlier this week, ruling him out of England's Sri Lanka tour and, potentially, the entire IPL.

There have been frequent questions about England's deployment of Archer, who was their leading wicket-taker during the World Cup and then played four out of five Ashes Tests during a whirlwind summer. He bowled 44 overs on debut at Lord's, and then 42 in one innings at Mount Maunganui on England's New Zealand tour in November - the most he has sent down in a first-class innings.

ALSO READ: Rajasthan still hopeful of Archer IPL participation

Having featured in the first Test in South Africa, taking his third five-wicket haul in seven appearances, he missed the rest of the series with elbow soreness, breaking down on the morning of the final game in Johannesburg after failing a fitness test. However, Root suggested the amount of cricket Archer had played in his career to date, including stints at various franchise leagues, was likely to have taken a toll.

"I wouldn't say he's been overbowled," Root said. "You look at the amount of cricket he's played before he played for England, he's played a huge amount, and he came into international cricket and took the world by storm. He's had a phenomenal start on the international stage and should be extremely proud of what he has achieved already in his short career.

"You just look at the international schedule and it's full on if you're playing all three formats. Chuck an IPL in there as well and the Big Bash and stuff he's played beforehand, that's a lot of cricket. That's a lot of mental fatigue as well as physical. I think it will be good for him to have a mental break, to get some time away from the game, to get refreshed."

Archer has only played ten games (two T20 and eight first-class) since the World Cup final in July, and was rested by England for the five-match T20I series in New Zealand. He played with a side injury during the latter stages of the World Cup and required a painkilling injection before bowling the Super Over at Lord's.

But while he did bowl more overs in 2017 (624 across all formats) than last year (523), when he debuted for England against Ireland in May, there is an appreciable difference between long spells for Sussex in Division Two of the County Championship, or playing T20 in the Bangladesh Premier League, and the intensity of World Cup and Ashes cricket. In his Test career, Archer has only bowled fewer than 36 overs in a match on one occasion - against Australia at Headingley, when he sent down 31.1 over two innings.

Root did concede that England would have to "manage him efficiently" on his return, which is expected to be in time for the Test series against West Indies in June. With a T20 World Cup later in the year, his availability for the shortest format might be considered a priority.

"One of the pleasing things is we are really clear on what the injury is now and it ended up being the right call for him not playing in that last Test match [against South Africa], because it could have done further damage and been a really tough one for him. We're all gutted for him missing out," Root said.

"We've just got to make sure now we build him up very well from the start of the summer and make sure when that first opportunity for him to play comes he's absolutely ready to go and can then look forward and start to really manage him efficiently."

Innings break South Africa 256 for 7 (de Kock 69, Miller 69*, Rashid 3-51) v England

South Africa fell nine runs short of the average first innings score of 265 at the Wanderers, on a pitch that appeared to have many more runs in it, against an England attack filled with slow-bowling options. Despite the Wanderers not having a reputation for being spinner-friendly, England picked both Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid. Along with Joe Root, who bowled seven overs, England's spinners sent down 27 overs, and conceded 136 runs at just over five an over to keep South Africa mostly quiet in the series decider.

That speaks to South Africa's ongoing problems against the turning ball, which scant signs of improvement in the middle order. Half-centuries by Quinton de Kock and David Miller at the top and tail of the innings held South Africa together, but they will need a strong performance from an inexperienced attack if they are to defend a proud record in pink. Since 2013, when this fixture was introduced, South Africa have only lost once in their change strip, to Pakistan last year.

Under clearing skies, South Africa made a tentative start to their innings against outswingers from Tom Curran and accuracy from the debutant Saqib Mahmood, who only featured in one spell. Their first seven overs brought just 18 runs before Mahmood bowled Reeza Hendricks with a delivery that burst through the bat-pad gap and appeared to blow the bail off the top of the stumps.

That brought Temba Bavuma to the crease to a rousing hometown welcome and high expectations, more so with memories of his partnership with de Kock at Newlands still fresh in fans' minds. The pair showed the same intent they had on Tuesday night, with Bavuma striking the ball cleanly on the drive and transferring some of the pressure to the opposition attack. Their stand reached 53 off 58 balls before Eoin Morgan opted for a change of pace and brought on his spinners.

South Africa's innings stalled in a comical period of play between the 21st and 22nd over, as Moeen, making his first England appearance since August, and Rashid, in his 100th ODI, took hold. De Kock and Bavuma's partnership had grown to 66 when Rashid clipped Bavuma's front pad and appealed heartily. Umpire Shaun George must have deemed the delivery had turned too much and Bavuma survived. Rashid sent down a googly next, Bavuma failed to pick it and was hit on the pad again. George raised his finger and Bavuma reviewed and though replays showed the ball was hitting the top of middle and leg-stump, UltraEdge was not working, so, despite an obvious gap between Bavuma's bat and pad, technology could not confirm that he hadn't hit the ball.

As a result, South Africa retained their review, which was used on the next ball when Rassie van der Dussen was given out to a Rashid googly and informed he could refer the decision. When he did, it showed the ball was missing leg. England's irritation with van der Dussen's reprieve lasted only seven more balls, before he was trapped on the back foot and bowled by Moeen.

Rashid struck again when he took out de Kock's leg stump with a delivery that gripped and spun as the South African captain tried to slog. By then, de Kock had brought up his 25th ODI half-century and had put on 46-runs with Jon-Jon Smuts for the fourth-wicket, at the highest-scoring rate of the innings at that point - 5.41 runs per over.

The foundation was laid for Miller, yet to bat in this series or for South Africa since September last year, to show off his finishing skills and then some, with some 19.3 overs left in the innings and South Africa yet to reach 150. Miller recognised his own importance, especially when he sent Smuts back after attempting a single off Chris Jordan, who returned to the attack after 17 overs of spin. Smuts hit the ball to midwicket and set off, but Tom Banton made a diving stop and had enough to time to gather and throw to Jonny Bairstow before Smuts could regain his ground.

With a long tail and a wily England attack, Miller struggled to score freely at first, especially as Morgan had held Rashid back for two overs in the last 10, which South Africa entered on 178 for 5. Rashid had Andile Phehlukwayo out lbw, off another googly, and Beuran Hendricks was run out in his final over, with Miller pushing for a run that wasn't there.

South Africa's 200 came up at the start of the 45th over but they scored 48 runs in the last five, led by Miller, who opened up in the latter stages. He took a particular liking to Jordan, and plundered 34 runs off the 16 balls he faced from him, including three sixes, all over deep midwicket.

Nepal 190 (Bhandari 59, Kushal Malla 50, Stevenson 3-30) beat USA 155 (Holland 75, Karan 4-15, Bhari 4-43) by 35 runs

The conveyor belt of teenage prodigies in Nepal has churned out a new sensation in the form of allrounder Kushal Malla, who on Saturday broke fellow countryman Rohit Paudel's record to became the youngest player in men's cricket to score a half-century in ODIs, during Nepal's 35-run win over USA. Rohit had set the record in 2019 after making a fifty against UAE in Dubai, but Kushal bested him by making 50 off 51 balls at the age of 15 years and 340 days.

Kushal entered the XI at the expense of Paudel, arriving at No. 6 with the score 47 for 4 after Nepal had been sent in. Three overs later they were 49 for 5 before Kushal commenced a thrilling counter-attack against USA's medium-pace battery, bringing the crowd of 12,000 fans inside Tribhuvan University Stadium to their feet as chants of "Ku-SHAL! Ku-SHAL!" rang out around the ground.

After a single to get off the mark, he struck four and six off USA's fastest bowler, Cameron Stevenson, in the 22nd over. His sweetest strike of the day came three overs later when he drove captain Saurabh Netravalkar straight down the ground for his second six. He was spilled at mid-off when he offered a straightforward chance on 38 but made the most of it by clocking another six off Ian Holland's medium-pace in the next over.

A single took him to his half-century off 49 balls and he was so focused on the task at hand, rebuilding the innings during an 84-run partnership with Binod Bhandari, that he never raised his bat to acknowledge the crowd's raucous ovation. He fell two balls later, pulling a short ball from left-arm spinner Karima Gore to deep midwicket.

Kushal added to his batting exploits later in the day by contributing a superb spell of left-arm spin. He claimed the wicket of Elmore Hutchinson clean bowled to make the score 65 for 7 during USA's failed chase of 191. He eventually ended with figures of 1 for 30 in 10 overs as USA were bowled out for 155. Despite Kushal's all-round heroics, fast bowler Karan KC was named Man of the Match for Nepal after claiming 4 for 15, including the prized scalp of Holland for 75 as the ninth wicket when USA was threatening to rally in the final 10 overs.

Rassie van der Dussen was allowed to review an on-field lbw decision in Sunday's ODI between South Africa and England in Johannesburg despite Temba Bavuma previously using his side's only referral, because UltraEdge had been unavailable when Bavuma did so.

Bavuma was given out lbw when he failed to pick an Adil Rashid googly and was struck on the front pad, but decided to review umpire Shaun George's decision. Ball-tracking technology showed that the ball would have hit the top of middle-and-leg, but as Bavuma was about to leave the field, reserve umpire Allahudien Paleker told him to wait from the boundary edge.

Aleem Dar, the third umpire, wanted to check that Bavuma had not hit the ball, and despite replays seeming to show clear daylight between bat and ball, an error in the technology meant that UltraEdge was unavailable. That meant the umpire's on-field decision was upheld, but Bavuma was not adjudged to have used South Africa's review.

The following ball, Rashid again bowled a googly, and struck the new batsman van der Dussen on the pad. Umpire George again raised the finger, and van der Dussen started to walk off.

But, immediately before he left the field, Paleker informed him from the boundary edge that he was able to review the decision if he so wished. Van der Dussen did review, and ball-tracking showed that the ball was missing the leg stump, causing George's on-field decision to be overturned.

England were irate, with their captain Eoin Morgan seemingly protesting as to why van der Dussen was able to review the decision, though it ultimately mattered little, as the batsman was bowled by Moeen Ali in the following over.

According to Article 3.6.8 of the ICC's ODI playing conditions, "a player review categorised as 'unsuccessful' may be reinstated by the ICC match referee at his/her sole discretion (if appropriate after consultation with the ICC technical official and/or the television broadcast director) if the player review could not properly be concluded due to a failure of the technology."

The article goes on to state that "any such decision shall be final and shall be taken as soon as possible, being communicated to both teams once all the relevant facts have been ascertained by the ICC match referee. A player review categorised as 'unsuccessful' shall not be reinstated if, despite any technical failures, the correct decision could still have been made using the other available technology."

That part of the clause appears to suggest that protocol was not followed in this case, with the decision to reinstate the review not communicated to the players before Rashid's ball to van der Dussen.

Naseem Shah, the 16-year-old Pakistan fast bowler, became the youngest player to take a Test hat-trick when he dismissed Najmul Hossain Shanto, Taijul Islam and Mahmudullah on the third day of the first Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi. Shah's feat saw him surpass the former Bangladesh legspinner Alok Kapali, who held the record for nearly 17 years, having taken a Test hat-trick against Pakistan in Ausust 2003, at the age of 19. ESPNcricinfo's ball-by-ball commentary recorded how Shah's accomplishment came about:

40.4 Naseem Shah to Najmul Hossain Shanto, OUT, huge appeal for lbw, Pakistan are very interested. Azhar checks with the bowler, keeper and signals for a review. This one came back in a long way to hit Shanto on the right thigh pad or thereabouts. The height may be the only bone of consideration here. And what a good review it is, ball tracking confirms this would've crashed into leg stump. Measured call to take the review. It wasn't impulsive, they all collectively felt it was worth a shout and boy, have they been proved right or what? Right at the fag end of the day. This will lift Pakistan just as Bangladesh were beginning to dream of wiping out the deficit with not more than two down.
Najmul Hossain Shanto lbw b Naseem Shah 38 (87b 3x4 1x6) SR: 43.67

Out comes Taijul, the nightwatchman

40.5 Naseem Shah to Taijul Islam, OUT, full, straight and gone! What a ball from Naseem. Make that two in two. This was angled back in from wide of the crease, the ball veered in late to beat the inside edge and hit him low on the pad. Naseem didn't even bother appealing. Nigel Llong sent him on his bike almost immediately.
Taijul Islam lbw b Naseem Shah 0 (1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

Naseem Shah on a hat-trick. Mahmudullah comes out at No. 6. What did Bangladesh achieve by sending in a nightwatchman? The man who they wanted to protect has to face the hat-trick ball. Two slips and a short cover. Short leg, short midwicket. Here we go

40.6 Naseem Shah to Mahmudullah, OUT, edged and gone! Naseem has done it. Hat-trick! He has lit up this Test and how. Joy in the Pakistan camp. He bowled this full and wide. This was there for the drive even though the ball moved away just a little, Mahmudullah couldn't hold back but was late on the shot. Got a thick edge that flew low but Haris pouched it superbly. He needed to stay low, moved instinctively to his right to pluck that. What a find this Naseem Shah is.
Mahmudullah c Haris Sohail b Naseem Shah 0 (1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

It wasn't dominant, and it wasn't so pretty, but Jon Jones once again proved himself to be the greatest light heavyweight in the world. After 12 years in the sport, he has done all he needs to do to be remembered as history's gold standard among 205-pound fighters.

It's time for him to move on to bigger things.

And he knows it.

Jones would not commit to a move to heavyweight in his postfight interview in the Octagon after his unanimous decision victory over Dominick Reyes was announced Saturday night. But he did address that matter with an exhilarating message several days ahead of the fight in an ESPN interview that aired early in the week. Ariel Helwani asked Jones if there's a chance that his next fight will come at heavyweight, and Jones said, "There's a really good chance."

That was enough to get the heart racing, but Jones sent the pitter-patter into double time when he went on to call for a champion vs. champion superfight. "I feel like I really want to fight Stipe Miocic," he said. "I feel like I could beat him."

Maybe he can. Maybe he can't. That in itself makes this potential next move intriguing in a way we've never really experienced with Jones.

Has there ever been a doubt about the expected outcome in the lead-up to a Jones fight? Sure, Reyes gave him all the fight he could handle at UFC 247 in Houston, but did anyone really expect that? Thiago Santos took Jones to a split decision in July, and no one saw that close call coming, either. Then there were Jones' struggles in his 2013 thriller with Alexander Gustafsson. But leading up to that fight, the most compelling argument anyone managed to make in the Swede's favor was that he was tall.

Way back in 2011, when Jones was 23 years old and just seven fights into his UFC run, he walked into the Octagon for his title challenge as the favorite. The champ at the time, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, was a 10-year veteran and a one-time Pride Grand Prix winner with a deep list of conquests that included the man then considered the greatest 205-pounder ever, Chuck Liddell. Yet Shogun was an underdog that night -- and then an ex-champion.

In all, Jones has fought 26 light heavyweights and been defeated by none of them. (The lone "L" on his résumé was a disqualification in a fight he was thoroughly dominating.) "Bones" has cleaned out the division more than once. What more can he accomplish in the domain he has ruled for almost a decade?

Jones doesn't owe it to the fans or the UFC to make this move up to heavyweight. He owes it to himself and his legacy.

Sure, Jones could opt to just take on the next man in line -- Corey Anderson or Jan Blachowicz -- while waiting for his money fight to come to him. Israel Adesanya has said he's headed Jones' way, and that would be a must-see collision. But Adesanya hasn't yet defended his middleweight belt even once, and he has said that a Jones fight won't happen before 2021. That is fine because "The Last Stylebender" is going to need time to bulk up enough to hang with a big 205-pounder such as Jones.

Why should Jones wait, though? Why sit idly and allow Adesanya to be the one making the bold move up to conquer a new world?

Jones made his name by fearlessly challenging himself, and nothing would fit that career narrative better than his venturing into the land of giants.

Imagine if Jones were to take out Miocic, who has made a strong case for himself as the greatest heavyweight ever.

Imagine if Jones were to stand in front of Francis Ngannou and chop down the scariest fighter on the planet.

Curtis Blaydes. Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Maybe even that WWE 'rassler Brock Lesnar. Wouldn't you love to watch any one of them against Jones?

It wouldn't even be out of the realm of possibility for Jones to complete his trilogy with Daniel Cormier at heavyweight -- the only place where it would make sense. There's no need for a third meeting at 205, at which Jones beat DC twice. But Jones stepping in with his bitter rival in the weight division at which Cormier is at his best? Book it.

There are many alluring options in front of Jones, all waiting for him to declare himself ready to start conquering a new world.

That quest is what magnificent legacies are made of. Conor McGregor ensured his place in history with the perfectly timed left hand that knocked out the great Jose Aldo in 13 seconds. But it was the image of McGregor sitting atop the Octagon a year later, with two championship belts slung over his shoulders, that will resonate forever. The same holds true for Jones's old friend Cormier, as well as Amanda Nunes and Henry Cejudo, champ-champs all.

This is not to advocate for Jones joining the swelling ranks of double champs. We've seen the gridlock that comes with one person ruling two weight classes. That idea has been played out.

Here's hoping Jones recognizes that moving up to pursue a new belt while letting go of the old one is no less of an achievement. Georges St-Pierre never reigned in two divisions simultaneously, but when he stepped up to middleweight and won the belt, it shined a new light on his legacy. Even Anderson Silva's dabbling at light heavyweight during his long run as middleweight champ was a significant feather in his cap, despite his never going for the belt at 205.

Jon Jones already is an unmatched figure in this sport. He has done extraordinary things. Now it's time for him to remind us of how special he is.

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Golden State Warriors on Saturday honored Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and the seven other victims of last month's helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, but after the game, the Los Angeles Lakers were still talking about LeBron James' unintended tribute to Bryant with his breakaway dunk in Thursday's game against the Houston Rockets.

The slam by James, a double-clutch reverse off an outlet pass from Avery Bradley, appeared to be a carbon copy of a dunk Bryant threw down on Nov. 18, 2001, against the Sacramento Kings -- from the approach to the launching spot to the side of the court at Staples Center being the same.

"Ever see the movie 'The 6th Man'?" James asked after the Lakers' 125-120 victory over the Warriors. "Kobe came down, put himself in my body and gave me that dunk on that break."

The movie James was referring to, released in 1997, starred Marlon Wayans and Kadeem Hardison as brothers on the University of Washington men's basketball team. Hardison's character, Antoine Tyler, dies of a heart attack during a game, and his ghost comes back to help his brother, Kenny Tyler, played by Wayans, and the team.

James said that although he saw Bryant complete that dunk countless times during his 20-year career, he was not planning to mimic it going into the Houston game.

"I didn't really predetermine that either until I jumped," James said. "I just jumped and kind of figured it out, and then ... it's crazy how it's the same exact dunk, the same exact hoop that Kobe did [it on] -- what, 19 years ago or something like that? That was nice."

Josh Williams, a member of the Lakers' videography team, noticed the parallel between the plays and spliced them together on the Lakers' Twitter account. The post has amassed more than 23 million views.

"Our great social media team put that together, and I was like, 'That's really, really good,'" James said.

Lakers center JaVale McGee also was impressed.

"It was pretty dope," McGee said. "It was extremely accurate and damn near identical. That was pretty cool. ... That's really some legendary stuff right there."

James said he watched clips of his son, LeBron James Jr., and Sierra Canyon High School's pregame warm-ups before they played Long Island Lutheran on Saturday and was delighted to see Bronny pull off the same dunk.

"Kobe is in all of us right now," James said.

As much as the video compilation was meaningful to James, he was perhaps even more taken aback by the still image of his dunk captured by NBA photographer Andrew D. Bernstein.

"When I saw it for the first time, I was like, 'Holy s---, that is an unbelievable photo,'" James said. "And then when I found out how it was taken: Andy literally had one snap on his remote to get that, and when I saw the video of it, when I was in the air, you can see the flash in the background. I was like, 'Oh, that is ... He's the real MVP, for sure.'"

In the photograph, which James shared on his Instagram account, Bernstein can be spotted sitting on the far baseline behind James, triggering the remote lens at the precise moment that James is ascending toward the hoop with his legs crossed.

View this post on Instagram

Win, Lose, or Draw I LOVE being able to play the game I fell in love with as a lil kid growing up back in the projects of Akron Ohio! So much damn happiness/fun it brings! LIVE.LAUGH.LOVE is the MOTTO. ??❤️?

A post shared by LeBron James (@kingjames) on Feb 6, 2020 at 10:58pm PST

"That moment, it's like I'm walking on air," James said.

James said his mother, Gloria James, was at the game, and she wants to print the photo and frame it in her house along with the other mementos she has collected throughout her son's career.

James said he will frame it and hang it in his house as well.

"It's crazy, it's crazy," James added. "To now [have it] be a part of my history between that correlation between me and Kobe, that play, I think it's pretty, pretty, pretty awesome. I'm glad I did it in a Laker uniform."