The Lakers’ latest signing Kent Bazemore, a former Warrior, has had a series of feuds with LeBron James.
Advertisement
The LA Lakers have been making the most of the 2020-21 free agency, with King James entering his 17th season. The team doesn’t want to waste any time with their championship window closing.
Recently, the Lakers acquired former league MVP and superstar Russell Westbrook leading to the formation of a Big 3 with James and Davis.
There is no denying that the addition of Westbrook left the Lakers with very little cap space, who would then go on to sign veterans on minimum contracts to fill in their roster. These signings included Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza, and Kent Bazemore.
Most of these players are returning for another stint with the franchise. The highlight being NBA veteran Dwight Howard making his 3rd return to the franchise.
Kent Bazemore, who recently opted out to sign with the Warriors and instead took his talents to the Staples Center, has had a rather rough history with superstar LeBron James.
Free agent Kent Bazemore has agreed to a 1-year deal with the Lakers, agent Austin Walton tells @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 3, 2021
Taking a look at Kent Bazemore and his long-lasting feud with superstar LeBron James over the years
Bazemore has been throwing shots at the 4x NBA champion even before he made his NBA debut. During his college days at Old Dominion University, Bazemore tweeted the following message, “LeBron is equivalent to 7-11. He doesn’t close.” said Bazemore during the 2012 NBA Finals.
The 32-year old harped on the bandwagon that moved with the notion that James couldn’t play well in the 4th quarter of the games. Bazemore tweeted a series of tweets that seemed way out of line and as personal attacks on James.
The clash between the two amplified as both were part of the rival shoe companies. While Bazemore was an Under Armour athlete, LeBron James was the face of Nike.
Kent Bazemore, on whether he gets a less friendly version of LeBron James because of the Nike/Under Armour rivalry: pic.twitter.com/Nhr1Df4Dle
— Kevin Chouinard (@KLChouinard) April 3, 2016
Bazemore, who was at the time with the Hawks, was quoted saying, “I hope so. I hope he [James] takes it personally because I do.” this quote came during the 2016 eastern conference semi-finals between the Cavs and Hawks.
The former Warriors player, who recently signed with the LA Lakers in a quest for an NBA title, will definitely have to squash his long-lasting squabble with King James. It will be interesting to see how the two foes turned teammates deal with their rather rough history.