National Football League

Eagles' Jalen Carter says flop vs. Dolphins was inspired by LeBron James

Published Oct. 23, 2023 4:35 p.m. ET

Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter not only made waves on social media for his hilariously egregious flop caught on camera during Philadelphia's 31-17 win over the Dolphins on Sunday night, but also for how he invoked LeBron James when explaining himself to reporters after the game.

The TV broadcast showed Carter dramatically falling backwards and flailing his arms following a brief post-whistle scuffle with Dolphins offensive tackle Austin Jackson. Both Carter and Jackson were flagged for offsetting penalties due to the incident.

When asked about his obvious flop later, Carter told reporters he was "just thinking about LeBron," via the Philadelphia Inquirer.

It's a surprising swipe at the basketball icon from the star Eagles rookie, though James does have a reputation for exaggerating contact and complaining to referees. That said, pretty much every notable NBA player of his generation does the same thing.

Carter, meanwhile, has lived up to his hype as one of the top 2023 NFL Draft prospects coming out of Georgia after becoming a star on the Bulldogs' ferocious defense that helped them to back-to-back national titles.

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He has an impressive 91.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus so far this season, and ranks among the top five in NFL sacks and forced fumble leaderboards. He was a big reason the Eagles defense was able to hold Miami's dynamic rushing attack to a season-low 45 yards on just 12 attempts in the impressive victory over what had been the NFL's best offense and one of its best overall teams over the first six weeks of the 2023 season.