LeBron James just continues to dominate in his 20th season in the NBA. His latest big night came against the Houston Rockets, as the King dropped a season-high 48 points to go with 9 assists and 8 rebounds on the second night of a back-to-back to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 140-132 win. He is now averaging 29.7 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 7.0 APG this season, which is simply remarkable.
The game against the Rockets was also the first time that LeBron got to face Jabari Smith Jr., who was selected as the 3rd pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and it was a momentous occasion, as James had also played against his father Jabari Smith Sr. earlier on in his career. Smith Jr. told LeBron during the game that his father was on the court when James made his debut and afterward, LeBron was asked about playing against the father-son duo.
"It made me feel extremely old when Jr. told me that… I just feel extremely blessed to be able to play this game and touch multiple generations." @KingJames on his timeline and stamp on the NBA. pic.twitter.com/3s1JtCyrMB
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) January 17, 2023
“It made me feel extremely old when Jr. told me that. I think he even said like probably something in that context but like I said postgame, I’ve been extremely blessed to be able to play this game and be able to touch multiple generations. I mean Kenyon Martin Jr. was out on the court tonight as well, played against his dad. Gary Trent Sr. I played (against) obviously his son is now in Toronto. Gary Payton and his son, so just a unique thing that I’ve been able to withstand the test of time as long as I’ve been playing to be able to compete now versus father and son combinations.”
He really has played against quite a few of these duos by now and he’s going to add a few more to his tally as he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He’ll also almost surely get to take part in a special father-son combination of his own when his son Bronny James enters the NBA.
Jabari Smith Sr. And LeBron James Shared An Embrace After The Game
Jabari Smith Sr. was in attendance for the game as well considering the occasion and his son had a solid showing, with 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. After the game, LeBron James went over to him and the two shared an embrace.
Will never forget the smile on my dads face💯one of the best days of my life. https://t.co/Z65vEfdYzl
— Jabari Smith Jr (@jabarismithjr) January 17, 2023
This was really great to see and he would have been very proud to see his son take on LeBron. The Rockets have a bright future despite this loss and they’ll be looking to Jabari to lead them to success in the future.
As for LeBron and his Lakers, this win snapped their 3-game losing run but they have tougher challenges up ahead in the Sacramento Kings and the Memphis Grizzlies, in particular. Anthony Davis won’t quite be back for those, but there is optimism that the big man could return before the All-Star break.
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