Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James made a blunt admission on the defending champion Boston Celtics ahead of their January 23 matchup.
“Boston knows who they are,” James told reporters following the Lakers’ 111-88 rout of the Washington Wizards on January 21. “We are still learning and trying to get better at what we want to do. We’ll have a game plan in place for such a great team, but they’re in a different place than we are.”
The Celtics have rediscovered their championship form when they trounced the Golden State Warriors 125-85 on January 20. It was only their fourth win over their last eight games but could prove pivotal in a challenging first half of the season following their 18th championship.
The 40-year-old James who dropped a historic triple-double against the rebuilding Wizards is bracing for a tough matchup against the Celtics.
James joined Karl Malone as the only 40-year-old player in NBA history to record a triple-double after dropping 21 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists against the worst team in the league. It will be tougher to replicate that against the Celtics, currently sitting second in the East with a 30-13 record despite their recent struggles.
LeBron James: ‘Be Physical’ Against Celtics
In their last meeting, the Lakers stole a win in Boston without James and Anthony Davis, who sat out with injuries. But it also cost the Lakers Jarred Vanderbilt, their most versatile defender. Vanderbilt suffered a midfoot sprain and underwent surgery in the offseason. He has not played since that ill-fated game in Boston on February 1, 2024.
“Be physical defensively. Share the ball offensively. Communicate,” James said on what the Lakers should do to have a shot at stealing another game in Boston.
The Lakers could be catching a break as the weary Celtics will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back. They play the Clippers on Wednesday, January 22 in the front end of their back-to-back schedule in Los Angeles.
LeBron James’ Group Not Bidding For Celtics
On January 22, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that “The Grousbeck family is expecting four to five bidders for the sale of the Celtics, with a valuation exceeding $6 billion.”
Charania added that the list of bidders will ultimately go down to two finalists in the first quarter of this year.
But none of those expected bidders will the Fenway Sports Group, where James has a minority stake.
MassLive’s Chris Cotillo reported on January 20 that the FSG group will not bid for the winningest franchise in the NBA.
Cortillo wrote, “Nothing has changed since Red Sox president — and FSG CEO — Sam Kennedy threw cold water on the idea in September.”
“That’s not on our radar right now,” Kennedy said on September 30.
FSG, which owns the Red Sox, Liverpool FC, the Pittsburgh Penguins, NASCAR’s RFK Racing and TGL’s Boston Common Golf in other sporting properties, was speculated to make a bid when the Celtics stunningly announced the franchise is up for sale just weeks after winning their 18th NBA championship.
James has aspirations to own an NBA franchise when he retires. But not in Boston. He openly said in the past that he wanted to bring an NBA expansion franchise to Las Vegas.
Cortillo added a group led by current Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca is one of the expected bidders.
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Lakers’ LeBron James Makes Blunt Admission on Celtics Ahead of Matchup, Franchise Sale