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LeBron James is not pleased with the Los Angeles Lakers’ current struggles, stating that his son Bronny James can play for them “right now.”
The Los Angeles Lakers are on a concerning losing streak, and the frustration that their superstar LeBron James is feeling has prompted him to make a bold claim that his son Bronny, a freshman at the University of Southern California, could actually step in and help the team out immediately.
According to Claire De Lune of the Guardian, the 21-year veteran was not in a great mood after the Lakers lost 127-113 to the Memphis Grizzlies Friday (Jan. 5). When asked about the effects of winning the inaugural in-season tournament on the streak by a reporter, James bluntly responded, “I’m not thinking that far back in the past. It was just two games. We suck right now.” When teammate Austin Reaves asked him about Bronny’s game at USC the following day and if he’d be starting, LeBron stated it was time before adding, “he could play for us right now. Easy. EASY.”
Bronny James recently made his collegiate basketball debut over four months after suffering an episode of cardiac arrest last July. While playing limited minutes in seven games, the 19-year-old was averaging 6.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals in 17.1 minutes.
When queried by the press before their most recent game against Stanford University, USC head coach Andy Enfield said of Bronny’s progress: “He’s a freshman, [and] this was his sixth game. He’s developing as a player and it’s nice to see and nice to watch. He’s a typical freshman but he had a little disadvantage over most freshmen where he was out for five months and had to come back in midseason. It’s very hard to do.”
LeBron has expressed wanting to play with Bronny as well as his brother Bryce in the NBA before he retires, even having the idea incorporated into a Beats by Dre commercial. Presently, a mock draft for 2024 conducted by CBS Sports analyst Kyle Boone has Bronny’s teammate, freshman point guard Isaiah Collier as the top pick. The consensus is that Bronny would be a solid player in the league, just not right away. Meanwhile, LeBron is putting up a terrific season at age 39, averaging 25.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game.
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Basketball fans may have scoffed at the NBA In-Season Tournament initially but ended up being treated to some of the best games so far early in the season. The Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers locked horns for the inaugural tournament final with the Lake Show taking the whole thing on the back of Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
The NBA In-Season Tournament had its share of critics who didn’t quite understand the necessity or purpose of it unless, of course, their teams were in contention. Early favorites like the Boston Celtics were bounced by the Indiana Pacers and Tyrese Haliburton, who is now becoming one of the league’s brightest stars.
The Lakers and Pacers may not have been the marquee matchup some fans wanted but it was a pure clinic put on by AD and King James, who seized the moment with the help of great play from fellow starters D’Angelo Russell, Cam Reddish, and Taurean Prince. Austin Reaves also provided a big lift off the bench with 28 points, leading the entire second unit.
The Pacers gave it their all with Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin, who came off the bench, both scoring 20 points. The Pacers also saw significant contributions from Obi Toppin and Aaron Nesmith.
The Lakers rode the wave of Davis, who led all scorers with 41 points, hauling in 20 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks. James added 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists, eventually winning the MVP trophy for the tournament. While Davis did show out for the final game, James has been consistently dominant even at age 38 and displayed an uncanny level of strength, speed, and basketball IQ.
It may not be the top trophy of the league but the NBA In-Season Tournament proved that fans don’t have to wait until May to see amazing professional basketball. Commissioner Adam Silver can go back to the lab with his team and figure out how to improve the tournament and said that he’s open to suggestions.
On X, formerly Twitter, NBA fans are discussing the game and much more. Check out the reactions below.
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LeBron James, in the eyes of many, will go down as one of the best basketball players to ever lace them up and the accolades are numerous. Still, King James cast doubt if he’d return to the court for his 21st NBA season but that chatter was silenced at this year’s ESPYS Award ceremony.
LeBron James, 38, received the Best Record-Breaking Performance ESPY award Wednesday night (July 12) but before he went to deliver his moving acceptance speech, James’ wife, Savannah James introduced her husband to the Dolby Theatre crowd in Los Angeles in humorous fashion. Mrs. James was flanked by their three children, sons Bronny and Bryce, and daughter Zhuri.
James showed all of the poise of a veteran as he took the stage and thanked his supporters while taking note of his long list of detractors. In his speech, James told the crowd that his devotion to the game is still strong as it ever was and despite his advanced age, he still has a lot left to give. And it was in this speech that the kid from Akron, Ohio let the world know that he was running it back.
“I don’t care how many more points I score or what I can or cannot do on the floor,” James said. “The real question for me is, ‘Can I play without cheating this game?’ The day I can’t give everything on the floor is the day I’ll be done. Lucky for you guys, that day is not today.”
Among the attendees were some of James’ former teammates such as Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and others. James’ speech was met with approving nods and applause from the crowd, and the news certainly delighted Lakers Nation who all assumed that after the team was swept by the Denver Nuggets in this year’s Western Conference playoffs, James would retire.
On Twitter, LeBron James saw his name trending with people celebrating the news along with some requisite hate, something James mentioned in his speech. We’ve got reactions from all sides below.
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LeBron James will have to endure a long offseason of people questioning his greatness from the comfort of their couches and game controllers despite willing the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers to the Western Conference Finals. The Denver Nuggets, the top-seeded team in the Western Conference, swept the Lakers in their best-of-seven series and some NBA fans are unfairly making LeBron James the fall guy.
LeBron James, who turns 39 this year, spent years carrying the Cleveland Cavaliers on his shoulders and doing so at an elite level for years. After two decades of basketball, wear and tear is natural and the high-flying exploits aren’t there every night but all of the greats have off nights.
James didn’t have an off night on Monday, leading all scorers with 40 points and remaining on the floor for the entire game. James supporting cast of Davis and Reaves did what they could but they were outmatched by Nikola Jokic, who led all Nuggets scorers with 30 along with 13 assists and 14 rebounds, and Jamal Murray, who poured in 25 points and was electrifying in the WCF.
You don’t even need to be a fan of James or his team to realize what he was able to do while pushing the age of 40 is incredible. There are a few NBA players who spent 20 seasons in the league and many of them are in the Basketball Hall of Fame. James will join those ranks once he decides to hang up his sneakers for good and hopefully, he holds off on doing so after the bitter sting of the loss settles down.
The comparisons to the great Michael Jordan are inevitable and people making a case for LeBron being an inferior player will have all their stats ready for an imaginary showdown neither man asked for.
The jeers from the armchair athletes of the world will cease to matter and besides, anyone who needs to take off their shoes and then put them in their laps to tie them can’t rightly call LeBron James a bum.
But they’re certainly going to try.
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The NBA playoffs are winding down with the Eastern Conference and Western Conference Finals in full swing. In the east, the Boston Celtics are now down 0-3 in their best-of-seven series against the Miami Heat, with the Los Angeles Lakers sharing the same record against the Denver Nuggets.
In NBA lore, few teams are as notable as the Celtics and Lakers given the long length of their rivalry and dominance on the court in different eras. In fact, it was expected by some that the two teams would meet in the 2023 NBA Finals, but both teams are on the brink of elimination.
On Sunday (May 21), The Celtics headed down to Miami to face the Heat in a must-win game after going 0-2 at their home arena. It was expected that the trio of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart would have an offensive explosion.
Instead, it was Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Gabe Vincent, who led all scorers with 29 points, owning the night. It was also a night that saw Tatum and Brown shoot 33 and 35 percent from the field respectively, and they didn’t get much help elsewhere although Grant Williams did give 12 off the bench. Butler scored 24 for the Heat but did so on 5-13 shooting, and got to the line seven times and sinking six.
On Saturday (May 20), Jamal Murray went off for 37 points against the Lakers, with Nuggets big man passing wizard Nikola Jokic dropping 24 with eight assists. The Lakers have been competitive in spurts but each game in the series has been huge swings and momentum changes that LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and coach Darvin Ham haven’t been able to figure out.
Tonight, the Lakers will take on the Nuggets in a win-or-go-home game for King James and Los Angeles. Even still, they would need to win four games to climb out of this major hole they’ve built for themselves. On Tuesday, the Celtics and Heat resume their series in a must-win for Boston.
On Twitter, the reaction to how the NBA Playoffs are currently playing out is all over the place. We’ve got reactions from NBA fans below.
[h/t NBA.com]
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LeBron James is no stranger to criticism after a tough loss considering he remains as one of the most recognizable figures in the NBA. After the Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference Finals, fans on Twitter are giving LeBron James and Anthony Davis the business.
Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic is the top name for Denver but it was the exploits of Jamal Murray that lifted the team over James and company. Murray poured in 37 points in a fourth-quarter explosion where he scored 23 points after his team was down in the second half. Jokic, continuing his uncanny triple-double production, dropping 23 points on 9-21 shooting and hauling in 17 rebounds with 12 assists.
On the other side, James scored 22 points on 9-19 shooting and dropped 10 assists, and pulled down nine boards. Davis made just four of 15 shots to score 18 along with 14 rebounds. Austin Reaves, once again showing expert poise went eight for 16 from the field with 22 points and was joined by Rui Hachimura who dropped 21 points.
Nuggets head coach Mike Malone expressed some frustration on how his team has been covered in the press with all the attention going towards the Lakers. While Los Angeles remains to be a marquee team, few analysts predicted them to be squaring off with anyone this deep into the playoffs.
After Nikola Jokic’s monster game in the opener, his pick-and-roll partner Jamal Murray took the spotlight in the Western Conference finals Thursday night.
“You win Game 1 and all everybody talked about was the Lakers,” Malone said. “Let’s be honest, the national narrative was, ‘Hey, the Lakers are fine. They’re down 1-0, but they figured something out.’ No one talked about how Nikola just had [a] historic performance. He’s got 13 (playoff) triple-doubles now, third all-time. What he’s doing is just incredible.”
On Twitter, LeBron James and Anthony Davis are getting blasted for their performance. We’ve got the tweets below.
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Anthony Davis is one of the most talented big men in the NBA but a cloud hangs over him regarding his durability given his past injuries. Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley had a moment on Inside The NBA analyzing Game 5 of the Lakers-Warriors playoff series after Davis suffered a head injury which prompted the legendary big men to crack up on air.
Anthony Davis, 30, is having an exceptional playoff series for the Los Angeles Lakers, who are up 3-2 against the defending champions, the Golden State Warriors. On Wednesday (May 10), the Lakers were on the losing end on the Warriors’ home court with the final score reading 121-106.
In the waning moments of the game, Davis was accidentally hit in the head by Warriors center Kevon Looney while both were going for a rebound. The hit was apparently hard enough that Davis needed to be wheeled out of the Chase Center.
At the conclusion of the game, Inside The NBA analysts were recapping the game, and in one segment not seen on camera, a sheet of paper could be heard being crumbled while Ernie “E.J.” Johnson Jr. broke down the footage of the Davis injury.
As the cameras cut back to Kenny “The Jet” Smith inside the TNT studio, O’Neal, and Barkley attempted to stifle their laughter and lost all of their cool after it was revealed that Davis left the floor in a wheelchair.
O’Neal and Barkley, both in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, can be tough on NBA big men given the impact of their careers. However, some on Twitter found the reaction to Anthony Davis hitting the deck a bit offensive while others joined in on the ribbing. NBA sideline reporter Chris Haynes and Lakers head coach both reported that Davis appeared to be on the mend.
We’ve got reactions from all sides below.
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Written By D.L. Chandler , Senior Editor Posted 47 mins ago @dlchandler123 D.L. Chandler is a veteran of the Washington D.C. metro writing scene, working as a journalist, reporter, and culture critic. Initially freelancing at iOne Digital in 2010, he officially joined the iOne team in 2017 where he currently works as a Senior Editor […]
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In an interview, NBA superstar LeBron James expressed his disappointment over the Los Angeles Lakers not being able to trade for Kyrie Irving.
For LeBron James, the chance to team up once again with his former teammate Kyrie Irving on the Los Angeles Lakers has been a desire since the offseason. It seemed more possible as the team made an offer when Irving requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets last Friday (Feb. 3rd), but the Nets ultimately traded him to the Dallas Mavericks with the deal becoming official on Monday (Feb. 6th). James would soon write on Twitter cryptically, “Maybe it’s me” as word of the deal went public.
Sitting down for an interview with reporter Michael Wilbon for the NBA on ESPN, James was candid. “I can’t sit here and say I’m not disappointed on not being able to land such a talent,” James said. “Someone I had great chemistry with, I know I got great chemistry with on the floor, that can help you win championships in my mind, in my eyes. But my focus has shifted now, my focus has shifted back to where it should be and that’s this club now, and what we have now.”
Wilbon responded with surprise, “That’s a quick pivot LeBron.” The four-time league MVP agreed, saying “I don’t get too excited about the possibilities of things that can be. I kind of envision myself on what it can, but I don’t invest it all the way into it until I know it’s happening and when it does not happen, I’m back locked in on the job at hand. James and Irving were teammates on the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014 to 2017, reaching the Finals in all three years and winning the franchise’s only title over the Golden State Warriors in 2016.
James is on the verge of breaking the all-time scoring record, held by former Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The current Lakers team, however, has been the source of constant discussion as they sit at 13th in the Western Conference despite another tremendous All-Star season from the 38-year-old forward. James has reportedly been pushing the team’s front office to make moves to improve the roster to make the playoffs as center Anthony Davis has struggled with injuries and Russell Westbrook has been shifted to a role off the bench.
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Los Angeles Lakers fans saw their team scrap their way back in a Thursday night game (Jan. 12) against the Dallas Mavericks and force the contest to go into overtime. The Lakers, most especially team captain LeBron James, believe that the referees missed a foul call against one of its team members that could’ve won the game.
The Los Angeles Lakers fell to 19-23 in the contest against the 24-19 Dallas Mavericks but showed exceptional grit despite a poor shooting night for James. The squad was without talented big man Anthony Davis but backup center Thomas Bryant, a former Washington Wizards player, has proven to be a useful asset. Russell Westbrook has also found a bit of a rhythm and before Davis went down with an injury, the Lakers looked to be surging.
Of concern was a three-point shot taken by former Wizards player Troy Brown Jr. at the end of regulation that would’ve won the game. On the closeout, Tim Hardaway Jr. seemingly bothered the shot but Brown didn’t openly criticize the referees and opted instead to state that the call was not in his hands. However, James offered a counter blanketed with plenty of profanity.
“No, it’s a f*cking foul,” James said, as reported by ESPN. “It’s a foul. No matter what he [Brown] says, it’s a f*cking foul. That sh*t is blatant, and they should have called it.”
Laker coach Darvin Ham also took the high road during his time at the podium, falling short of critiquing the referees and their call.
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