[ad_1]
LOS ANGELES — Twenty years after LeBron James was the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr., the No. 3 pick in the league’s most recent draft, is a star of the Los Angeles Lakers. I told the to do something. he feels his age.
“You played your first NBA game against my dad,” Smith Jr. said in video captured by NBA TV cameras of the Lakers’ 140-132 win Monday night.
When James made his regular season debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 29, 2003 in Sacramento, father of the 19-year-old Rockets rookie, Jabari Smith Sr. was certainly on the Kings’ roster.
Smith Sr. was 26 and James was 18 at the time.
Now that James is 38, these generational basketball ties are becoming obsolete.
“I felt very old when Junior said that,” James said after the game. “I think he even said, ‘You probably feel old.’ .”
Smith Jr. said the anecdote may have been a little unnerving for the four-time MVP winner.
“I was kind of mad because he said I made him feel old,” Smith Jr. said after the game. I really didn’t know. It’s just a great stat.”
But James wasn’t all that upset about exchanging hugs with Smith Sr. on the court after the game and having one of the best nights of the season for the Lakers.
He scored a season-high 48 points on 16-26 shooting (including a 3-10-5 mark and a 9-10 mark on free throws), had 9 assists and 8 rebounds, and snapped three games for LA. It helped me to Losing streak.
He continued to set his sights on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record of 38,387 points for a total of 38,072 points.
And he played 36 minutes on the second night of the streak.
“I was so tired today. I was so tired,” James said. “Yesterday against Philadelphia, my body was sore. When I step on the floor to warm up, when the crowd is full, it’s my job to go out and play in the best way possible.”
Another father-son career pedigree played out for James at Crypto.com Arena on Monday, where he faced Kenyon Martin Jr. while Kenyon Martin sat courtside.
Make that connection even wilder? The fact that Martin Jr. is a graduate of Sierra Canyon High School, where James’ sons Bronnie and Bryce attend.
“I’m so blessed to be able to play this game and touch it for generations,” James said.
James also faced Gary Payton and Gary Payton II. Rick Branson and his son Jalen.Gary Trent Sr. and Gary Trent Jr.
He faced one of Bronnie’s high school teammates, Ziaile Williams of the Memphis Grizzlies, and is facing Bronnie’s former teammate Scottie Pippen Jr. in the Lakers this season. He’s playing on the same team as Shannon Brown, who started his career, and is playing alongside his brother Sterling Brown, whose 10-day contract with the Lakers just expired over the weekend. The nationally televised game featured Bill Walton as an analyst, and James’ first season in Los Angeles was coached by Luke Walton.
Not to mention, Rockets coach Steven Cyrus is the son of the late Paul Cyrus, James’ first NBA coach with the Cavaliers.
“For as long as I’ve been playing, it’s just been unique enough to stand the test of time, and now to be able to compete against a father-son combination,” James said.
[ad_2]
Source link
