“LeBron James put a forearm on me and he’s strong as sh*t”: Desmond Bane describes his ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moment was getting ‘bullied’ by the Lakers superstar

Desmond Bane talks about his ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moment being against LeBron James and the Lakers in his 5th NBA game. 

Desmond Bane and the Memphis Grizzlies have been rolling this ‘22 NBA season, boasting the 3rd best record in the league at 38-18. They’re currently 4 games ahead of the Utah Jazz as the 3rd seed in the Western Conference but are also 4 games back from the 2nd seeded Golden State Warriors. 

The Grizzlies are clearly ahead of schedule as the entirety of their roster is made up guys who have barely spent any time in the NBA. Desmond Bane for one, is merely in his sophomore season and is having a breakout year, establishing himself as a premier shooter while also developing his drive-in game.

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He’s averaging 17.5 points a game on near 41% shooting from beyond the arc while attempting 7 threes a game. It was clear from the start that Desmond Bane was a lights out shooter and he’d shown off this ability of his in his rookie season as well, shooting 43% from beyond on 4 attempts a game. 

Desmond Bane on facing LeBron James and the Lakers for the first time. 

Many forget that prior to the Los Angeles Lakers being hit with injuries in the 2020-21 NBA season, LeBron James and company were looking like true title contenders once again. They started the year off 22-7 and were a daunting challenge for any team in the league. 

Desmond Bane, while on the ‘Old Man and the Three’ podcast, recalls having to guard LeBron James full-court on one particular possession in their first meeting with one another.

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“We play a healthy Lakers team and it’s like LeBron, AD, and all them. I’m picking up LeBron full-court and, it’s like the end of the quarter, and I’m trying to be pesky on the ball. He just put a forearm on me and I’m like, ‘Oh my god, this dude’s strong as sh*t.’ So that was kind of like my ‘Welcome to the league’ moment.” 

The Lakers ended up beating the Grizzlies 108-94 that game, with Desmond Bane having scored 14 points on 3-4 shooting from beyond the arc.