During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a lot of uncertainty about how games would feel without fans in the stadium. Many players, understandably, disliked that eerie, silent atmosphere. And when a sparse crowd was available, LeBron James, who ordinarily don’t react too much with people in the stands, on one occasion, went as far as trading verbal jabs with a player’s family.
Advertisement
The player whose family was at the receiving end of James’ ire was Dejounte Murray, who was a part of the San Antonio Spurs when the NBA shifted to empty arenas. Only a few members of both organizations, and in some instances, their families, were allowed to watch the games live at the venue.
Murray’s family had traveled to a Lakers game, where Bron, according to Alex Welsh, Derrick White‘s co-host in his White Noise podcast, brought out a side of him that’s rarely seen. “There weren’t more than 40 people, maybe,” he said.
“Just friends and family. They sat us on the other side of the benches. Obviously close to [the] floor, but there was still like a huge gap to the floor, obviously… They scattered every family,” described Welsh.
“Dejounte Murray’s family was four rows up, and five rows over from our section, and it was dead silent… He [LeBron] was like, looking in their direction, and he would score, run up the sidelines, right in front of us. And he was like looking in their direction, like, kinda chirping back and forth with them,” added Welsh.
White’s co-host did, however, add that it was playful, since LeBron shared a good relationship with the Murray family. But it must’ve been surreal for those in attendance to hear one of the greatest players of all time exchange insults with an opponent team’s family.
White was amused. It’s an interesting story because James isn’t much of a trash-talker, and his teammates know that well. White, a member of the Boston Celtics, had shared the locker room with James at the 2024 Paris Olympics. They have a pretty good relationship, too.
When James used White as an example for his children
James isn’t just a veteran figure to youngsters on the Lakers anymore. He’s a father to Bronny James, a player on the team’s roster. And once, while advising Bronny and his other son, Bryce, who’s also looking to make it to the league, he brought White up.
The backstory here is centered around Bronny, who was the #55 pick in the 2024 Draft. And well, players picked that late into a draft seldom go on to become greats. Not everyone’s a Nikola Jokic.
However, James told his sons how White was also overlooked throughout his career. But his hard work turned him into a valuable Celtics star and an Olympic gold medalist.
“Unranked in high school, zero D1 scholarship offers, played three years of Division II basketball at UCCS, transferred to Colorado, and now is an NBA Champion on one of the best teams in the NBA,” James had said.
“And my message was to them, ‘Everybody’s road to success was different. So stay locked-in and patient.’ That was my message to my boys last year,” added the King.
