The Los Angeles Lakers are on the road, facing off against the Golden State Warriors tonight. However, with no LeBron James in the starting lineup, the rest of the players will have to make up for a huge chunk of the offense. All the while trying to contain Stephen Curry and his long-range shooting. As James sits out for this Warriors matchup, his former teammate grabs his attention as LBJ gives him a shoutout.
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Before the Lakers vs. Warriors matchup, it was the Dallas Mavericks facing off against the Phoenix Suns on TNT. The Mavericks were able to defend their home court as they defeated the Suns, 123-113.
What caught LeBron James’ attention was his former teammate and All-Star guard, Kyrie Irving. During the first quarter of the game, Irving ran down the court on a fastbreak opportunity, finishing with a little English at the rim.
Kyrie Irving wasted no time putting up that shot, beating Eric Gordon on the dribble and finishing by switching hands and adding a little more flair than usual on his layups. Though Irving demanded a foul call, the official saw no contact for it to be an and-one play.
LeBron James was quite impressed by the play made by his former teammate. He uploaded the highlight on his IG Stories that was originally posted by BleacherReport’s official Instagram page.
James captioned his story,
“At first I thought he laid it with the left which should have still be tough but switching hands is OFD!!!!!!!”
While the Los Angeles Lakers are trying to fend off the Golden State Warriors, LeBron James’ attention is supposedly on his former teammate and the highlight plays he’s been having against the Suns. In all fairness, that finish by Kyrie Irving was truly remarkable as he not only switched hands but the way he kissed the ball off the backboard for the finish may have been the cherry on top.
At first, LeBron was under the impression that Irving finished it off with his off-hand. But after seeing the replay, even James could not help but compliment his former teammate.
Is a reunion possible for LeBron James and Kyrie Irving?
LeBron James and Kyrie Irving were responsible for bringing the Cleveland Cavaliers their first championship in franchise history. Many people were distraught over Irving leaving and have been pining for a reunion now.
Prior to the 2023-24 NBA trade deadline, there were plenty of rumors of Irving probably joining LeBron James and the Lakers for a possible reunion to make another run for the title before LBJ’s twilight years are over.
Unfortunately for Laker fans, those rumors did not pan out as the two teams never came to an understanding. But talking about All-Star guards, the Lakers are rumored to pursue Trae Young this coming offseason.
Young has been a part of the Atlanta Hawks squad since the start of his career. He signed a five-year/$215 million max contract with the team before the start of the 2022-23 NBA season. Young still has three years left on his contract so it would be interesting to see what the Lakers have to offer in terms of, not just talent, but also to match the contract of Young for this trade to be valid.
Also, how the Lakers perform in the playoffs might be a crucial factor in their pursuit of Trae Young this summer.
