The ritual is never altered, it’s always the same, performed before (almost) every game since he started making a name for himself in the NBA with Cleveland. As the players take to the court, all eyes are on LeBron James as he makes his way to one of the midcourt flanks. There, a small bottle of powdered chalk is waiting for him. He picks up the bottle, shakes the chalk into his hand then launches the powder high into the air, claps and gestures to the crowd with arms outstretched.

LeBron’s pre-game chalk toss: an NBA classic

It’s a simple, visual action which never fails to get the crowd going – which let’s face it, is the whole idea. In fact, it’s the big pre-game formality that every fan looks forward to the most. The whole arena falls silent in anticipation, mobile phones aloft recording the decisive moment then, as the chalky white powder dissipates into the air, the whole room errupts. The mood is set.

The chalk toss tradition has become so synonymous with LeBron, so iconic, that it was the image selected when the player graced his first NBA 2K cover during his final year with the Heat in 2014.

So where does it comes from and what is it supposed to represent? “I don’t remember the first time I started it, when I started to do it” the player confessed in an interview with the league a few years ago. “But I felt the fans start to embrace it. I started to really set my mind and get focused on what was at task when I started to do it. On the road sometimes I get booed, so I love it. At home, they go crazy. I don’t know what made me start doing it but it just happens sometimes. Great things just happen sometimes”