LeBron James was shocked by the Los Angeles Lakers\u2019 trade of Anthony Davis, his close friend and teammate for over five years, admitting he was left in disbelief for two days after the news. Now, he\u2019s starting to adjust to the idea of forming a new partnership with Luka Doncic, a player he holds in high regard.<\/p>\n
“Luka has been my favorite player in the NBA for a while now,” James said after scoring 26 points in the Lakers’ dominant victory over the Clippers on Tuesday. “I\u2019ve always strived to play the game the right way and inspire the next generation, and Luka is one of them. Now we\u2019re teammates, so the transition will be smooth.”<\/p>\n
Like many others, James initially thought the trade was a joke when he first heard about it on Saturday night while dining with his family in New York.<\/p>\n
“My emotions were all over the place,” James recalled. “When I first heard, I thought for sure it was fake. I thought it was a hoax. But then AD FaceTimed me, and I spoke with him for a while. Even after the call, it still didn\u2019t feel real. It didn\u2019t hit me until I saw Luka today and the clip of AD at the Dallas shootaround. That\u2019s when I realized, ‘This is real.'”<\/p>\n
As he enters his 22nd NBA season, James has often stated he\u2019s experienced everything the league has to offer. But this trade proved him wrong.<\/p>\n
“I\u2019ve never seen anything like this,” James said. “I\u2019ve seen it all up until now. I\u2019ve never been part of something like this. It was shocking, but at the end of the day, I understand the business side of basketball.”<\/p>\n
With the NBA trade deadline approaching Thursday, James made it clear that he remains committed to the Lakers, even with Davis’ departure.<\/p>\n
When asked about the Lakers potentially focusing more on Doncic and younger players, James replied: “What\u2019s wrong with that?”<\/p>\n
“If I had concerns, I would have waived my no-trade clause and left,” he added. “I\u2019m here now. I\u2019m committed to the Lakers. I\u2019m here to help Luka and Maxi transition smoothly.”<\/p>\n
Doncic officially joined the Lakers on Tuesday, and he spoke at length with James while observing from the bench at Intuit Dome. The Slovenian star, still processing the trade, expressed excitement about joining the Lakers\u2019 rich legacy alongside James, his idol.<\/p>\n
Although Lakers coaches Tyronn Lue and JJ Redick, despite their rivalry roles, agree that James and Doncic will make a potent pairing for the Lakers.<\/p>\n
“I\u2019m confident we can blend their talents quickly,” Redick said.<\/p>\n
Although Doncic wasn\u2019t playing in Tuesday’s game, the crowd buzzed with excitement over his arrival. The trade sent Davis and Max Christie to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris.<\/p>\n
Lue, who coached James to a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers, knows how to make such pairings work, having done so with James and Kyrie Irving.<\/p>\n
When asked about critics who say James and Doncic won\u2019t mesh due to their ball-dominant styles, Lue disagreed. “They\u2019re wrong,” Lue said. “With LeBron, the best player of the last 15 years, and Luka, a top-three player, they\u2019ll figure it out. LeBron can play with anyone. JJ will make sure they each have their unit, like we did with Kyrie and LeBron, and then they\u2019ll close games together. It\u2019s not a tough problem.”<\/p>\n
Redick, who played with Doncic during his final 13 games in Dallas, added, “We had a friendship and mutual respect. Now we\u2019ll build a solid player\/coach relationship, and I\u2019m excited for that.”<\/p>\n
James wasn\u2019t the only one affected by the trade. Several teammates were also saddened by the departure of Davis, who was a beloved veteran, and Christie, a young talent drafted by the Lakers. “The last few days have been tough for me,” James admitted.<\/p>\n
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LeBron James was shocked by the Los Angeles Lakers\u2019 trade of Anthony Davis, his close friend and teammate for over five years, admitting he was left in disbelief for two days after the news. Now, he\u2019s starting to adjust to the idea of forming a new partnership with Luka Doncic, a player he holds in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2586,246],"tags":[60],"class_list":["post-23984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lakers","category-nba","tag-lebron-james"],"yoast_head":"\n