Basketball: NBA fans bewildered by LeBron James optical illusion

LeBron James and a lookalike fan during the Lakers clash against the Rockets.

NBA fans were left bewildered by the appearance of a lookalike of LeBron James on the sidelines of one of the basketball legend's games.

James turned in a superb performance for the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday (NZT), steering his team to 95-85 victory over the Houston Rockets.

Eagle-eyed viewers thought they had seen a ghost when a supporter bearing an extremely close resemblance to James was spotted over his shoulder on the TV broadcast.

The man sitting in a courtside seat enjoying the action was a dead ringer for the four-time MVP.

Wearing a fashionable grey ensemble, he had a strong build and a thick beard just like James, and even sported a fedora, which is one of the Lakers superstar's favourite style of hats.

LeBron and ... LeBron? 😅 pic.twitter.com/dQjvMFqYUx

— ESPN (@espn) November 1, 2021

Fans couldn't believe James' doppelganger was attending one of his games and they had an absolute field day coming up with all manner of hilarious theories to explain the bizarre optical illusion.

Some thought the man, who was quietly munching on some popcorn, was James' long-lost twin, while others speculated the four-time NBA champion had gone back in time to watch himself play.

Lebron is so good he is Playing and watching the game at the same time 😧 pic.twitter.com/1CEhfUr4Ri

— The Pettiest Laker Fan 🤫 (@ThePettiestLA) November 1, 2021

LeBron sitting courtside for LeBron pic.twitter.com/eM6Qv7BUET

— Jeff Eisenband (@JeffEisenband) November 1, 2021

lebron picked a great night to time travel & watch himself throw down dunks pic.twitter.com/zMQX3sRCPd

— buckets (@buckets) November 1, 2021

On the court, James once again proved he is ageless, scoring 15 points along with eight assists and seven rebounds.

Pundits were in awe of the 36-year-old's insane athleticism when he slammed a huge reverse dunk on the counter attack.

It was an impressive feat given James' was in doubt for the game right until tip-off as he nursed a sore ankle.

"LeBron out here doing reverse jams on the break, it's scary hours," basketball journalist Cameron Fields tweeted.

Houston reporter Coty Davis added: "LeBron James should be too old for that reverse dunk."

His star teammates held their own too, with Russell Westbrook contributing 20 points, eight rebounds and nine assists in an excellent all-round game.

Fellow new recruit Carmelo Anthony was electric coming off the bench, scoring 23 points and picking up two steals and four blocks in just 25 minutes of game time.

The 10-point win improved the Lakers' record to 4-3 to start the NBA season.