As is the norm, the rowdy Philadelphia 76ers fanbase tried their best to get under the skin of LeBron James when the Los Angeles Lakers were in town Sunday night. James responded with a season-high 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists, including 10 straight points in clutch time to ice the 112-108 win.
James also fired back at a fan at courtside who poked fun at the NBA veteran over his receding hairline.
“You still ain’t got no hair though,” said the 76ers fan in a video circulating on X.
James would initially accept the cards dealt to him by his genetics.
“It happens,” James said, acknowledging his hair loss.
James, however, quickly reminded the fan that he has generational wealth.
“I know what I do got, though. Plenty of it,” said James, the first active NBA player to cross a net worth of $1B.
LeBron James Takes Over
James also singlehandedly willed the Lakers to a win on Sunday. When he checked back into the game at the 5:25 mark in the fourth quarter, the Lakers had just a two-point cushion, 98-96. Thereafter, he hit a 22-foot jumper at the 4:25 mark, a three at the 3:43 mark and then buried the 76ers with another trey at the 1:12 mark. The final dagger came at the 27.4 mark when he splashed a stepback shot from the left wing to give the Lakers a 110-105 lead, closing the door on the home team.
James said that he wasn’t planning on making a barrage of jumpers from the left wing and just responded to how the 76ers defense played him.
“You just play the game how it unfolds,” James said, via The Athletic’s Dan Woike.
“I feel like (Austin Reaves) had some really good looks tonight, but he wasn’t in the rhythm that he’s been in all season. And I understood that traveling from a different country back here with a newborn could be very taxing on you, not only mentally [but] physically, and shout out to (Luka Dončić) and his family for the newborn. That’s amazing.
“So I felt like the opportunity kind of presented itself in a way that if I felt like my two heavy hitters kind of didn’t have it or needed a little kick … I tried to punch in from there.”
Streak in Rearviewmirror
The performance came just a few nights after James had his 1,297-game double-digit scoring streak snapped in a win against the Toronto Raptors.
Entering Sunday’s game, James was averaging a career-low 14.1 points while struggling to find his rhythm amid concerns about his health. Lakers head coach JJ Redick felt the performance was a good reminder that the 40-year-old still had a lot left in the tank.
“I do think it’s important to be reminded every now and then of what you’re capable of,” coach Redick said of James’ 29-point performance.
“And for him to have the injuries, and then to sort of start the season playing catch-up in a way, and start the season playing catch-up with a team that is also in a really good rhythm, and that’s, as a player, I don’t care how good you are, that’s tough to figure out. So tonight was super important.”
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