Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James remains the benchmark by which all up-and-coming NBA players measure themselves. One of those rising stars is Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, who has become one of the best players in the league.
Tatum has gone head-to-head with LeBron multiple times and is certainly on the cusp of superstardom, but he clearly has a lot of respect for the Lakers star. Tatum, like others who watched the Lakers’ overtime victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, was in disbelief that LeBron was still playing so well in his 21st season.
James played 42 minutes and scored 35 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists, helping the Lakers win by 5 points. In the middle of that performance, Tatum posted on social mediacalling LeBron’s performance ridiculous:
What Brown did was ridiculous lol
— Jayson Tatum (@jaytatum0) November 2, 2023
That’s certainly an accurate description for Tatum, as no one is even close to that level at this point in his NBA career. Not only is James playing well with the Lakers, he’s shown that he’s still one of the absolute elite in the league and that he can still do it all. LeBron leads the Lakers in points, rebounds and assists while draining four 3-pointers against the Clippers.
Of course, it’s only a matter of time before Tatum and LeBron face off again. The Lakers will take on the rival Celtics on Christmas Day in what is undoubtedly the most anticipated game of the NBA’s annual Signing Day. The Celtics won two games last season, but one of them was very questionable as Tatum drew a clear foul on LeBron’s potentially game-winning layup at the end of regulation, but it wasn’t called.
There’s definitely a tone of respect between Tatum and LeBron, and one can’t respect everything James has accomplished in his career. Tatum’s reaction to watching LeBron play against the Clippers was completely appropriate.
Lakers’ LeBron James says game against Clippers ‘not just another game’
Over the past few years, the rivalry between the Lakers and Clippers has grown into one of the fiercest in the league. While some will downplay the rivalry, LeBron admitted that the game against the Clippers means more than any other game.
“I think every time you play against an opponent across the hallway, it’s always more than just another game,” James said. “Next year, when they go to the arena, they’ll be across town, but you know, to me, it’s always great to compete against the best, and PG, Kawhi (Leonard) and Russ being Three of the best this league has ever seen.
“Being able to go out there against them and play in purple and gold and them play in their colors is definitely a blessing and you don’t take those moments for granted. So it’s definitely fun. “
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