In perhaps the most shocking trade in NBA history, Anthony Davis was sent to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic. Even the players involved in the trade, including Luka, had no idea they were being shopped. People assumed that LeBron James must’ve known what was going on behind the scenes, but even he denied any knowledge of the same. However, Stephen Jackson believes that LBJ is lying.
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On a recent episode of Unplugged, the former NBA star called out LeBron for claiming he also found out about it once the trade was done. Stak said that he is “first team all-common sense,” so it’s impossible for him to take James at his word.
He said, “If you have…in your mind to call Bron and talk to him about it afterward, you call and talk to him about it before it happens. Come on, man. That’s just common sense.” Jackson claimed that LBJ knows what’s happening across the league in real-time, so a major change in his own home had to go through him.
Stephen Jackson says Lebron is lying about not knowing the Lakers were going to trade AD 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/NBy1cW5XBw
— Thetruth (@Thetruth8240) February 5, 2025
Matt Barnes chimed in on the discussion to guess why LBJ has been in denial. He said, “I think he probably had to deny it because AD is probably salty.” Barnes said that if LBJ didn’t know and was telling the truth, then it was a sign of changing dynamics in LA. When LeBron was asked about the trade, he said he was out for dinner with his family and was informed about it after it was official.
LeBron James explains how he thought the Luka trade was a “hoax” when he first heard it: pic.twitter.com/ZpqEahMKuz
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 5, 2025
At first, he thought it was all a “hoax.” He said, “AD FaceTimed me, and I talked to him for quite a while. Even when I got off the phone with him it still didn’t seem real.” Stak and Barnes aren’t the only people who think LBJ is lying.
Kevin Garnett called out LeBron James for lying
A player of LeBron’s stature is expected to have a finger on the pulse of everything that happens in his organization. In the past, he has been accused of moving players at will. So, it was difficult for people to take him seriously when he claimed no involvement or knowledge in the AD trade.
On the night when the news first came out, Kevin Garnett was one of the first to call him out. KG took to his Instagram story and wrote, “Bron lyyyyyyyyyynnn. Of course he knew.. had to sign off on it.. simple!! NBA biz.”
Hours after the trade, the NBA fans were shocked to find out that the Mavs first reached out to the Lakers with the trade. It was also revealed that the proposal of the trade and conclusion happened within hours. So, if we take the sudden nature of it into consideration, it’s possible that LBJ wasn’t informed about it until the deal was done.
