One of the biggest incidents in basketball over the weekend came when Ime Udoka was ejected from a Lakers vs. Rockets game due to trash-talking LeBron James. We later found out Udoka had called LeBron a ‘b***h’ without provocation.
Udoka started talking trash to LeBron because they were peers in the NBA not too long ago. They faced off eight times in their careers, and a fan found some highlights of James cooking Udoka, hitting jumpers in his face, chasing him down for blocks, and even dunking.
More footage of LeBron cooking Ime Udoka back in the day 😮💨
(via @bballbreakdown) pic.twitter.com/B8LGN8h9hs
— LeBron History 🏀 (@bronhistory) December 4, 2023
The pair faced each other eight times in NBA competition, with James having won six games. The current all-time leading scorer also led the Cavaliers to those wins, averaging 32.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 6.6 assists. Udoka was a rotational player and wasn’t a piece the team relied on to win games. He has averaged 4.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in games against James.
With Udoka now a highly regarded head coach, it was shocking to see him lose his composure against the Lakers. He even had a pretty harsh statement about the team after the loss.
“To kinda get punked by a team that’s not known for physicality or punking people is not a good sign.”
Udoka has done a great job with the Rockets, adding life to the roster and orchestrating them to become one of the best defenses in the NBA. If he can control outbursts like that more often, he’ll be in the conversation amongst the best head coaches in the NBA.
What Did Ime Udoka Say To LeBron James?
Seeing a coach get tossed from a game for talking to an opposing player isn’t something we see often. James and Udoka had their discussion right in front of the referees, and the leaked audio from the interaction does show Udoka may be the one to blame, unnecessarily trying to instigate LeBron by repeatedly cursing at him.
Ime Udoka: “Stop crying like b*tches, man.”
LeBron James: “We’re all grown men, that b*tch word ain’t cool. Don’t use that word so loosely.”
Ime Udoka: “What are you going to do about it though? Soft a** boy, stop b*tching. Acting like you’re gonna do something.”
It’s hard to blame James in this situation, as he was being riled up by Udoka. Players aren’t allowed to take matters into their own hands, so it’s often the referee’s job to step in. Udoka’s trash-talk didn’t help the team as they failed to score over 100 points and lost the game. Their hot start to the season has petered out and they’ll have to fight hard to remain in a playoff position, falling to an 8-9 record.
LeBron’s Lakers are on the outside of the sixth seed looking in, barely trailing the Mavericks in sixth place. LeBron is averaging 24.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 6.4 assists in one of the most efficient scoring seasons of his career.
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