According to FIBA basketball rules, players can take off with the center foot and land with one foot. Therefore, players can only land on the ground twice with the "center foot" and "one foot" from the beginning of determining the center foot to the beginning of the shot, and the "center foot" and "one foot" take off at the same time during the layup. As shown in the figure below:
In FIBA or NBA, walking the ball is not a foul, but a violation. In addition, in the NBA, in order to ensure the enjoyment of the game, in 2009, the league introduced new regulations, which relaxed the scale of punishment for walking and blowing. When a player catches the ball while moving or dribbling, he can take two steps and then stop, pass or shoot. The NBA referee's penalty for walking is even more lenient. As long as the central foot is clear and the movement is smooth, even if it exceeds three steps, it will generally not be punished.
James does often take four or five steps when he makes a layup, and even jumps up after six steps. However, due to the fast action speed and the overall rhythm, the referee generally does not blow the penalty. In addition to James, fast-break players like Derek Ross, Raul Deng, monta ellis and Iguodala often make four-step layups when they make quick layups.