Getty LeBron James reacts to a call during the Lakers-Grizzlies game.
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Memphis Grizzlies at home on January 9 by a final score of 127-119. Although the four-time MVP went off for 35 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, the Lakers had no answers for the Grizzlies, who had six players score in double-figures.
Meanwhile, LeBron was the only Los Angeles starter to score over 10 points.
Things got chippy between the King and the Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena on that January night. LeBron and Desmond Bane had multiple heated conversations during the game and we finally know what LBJ said and why he was angry.
LeBron to Bane, Grizzlies: ‘I Don’t Play That Sh*t’
Bane was chirping at LeBron during the first half as the Grizzlies built a double-digit lead. The four-time Finals MVP had seen and heard enough on one play and started barking back at the Grizzlies swingman.
“That’s your last time,” LeBron said to Bane, via Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “That’s your last motherf—ing time. That’s your last time disrespecting me.”
Bane, who led the Grizzlies in scoring with 23 points against the Lakers, didn’t back down from LeBron. In the second half, he kept smiling and talking trash to the Chosen One, who got even more enraged as the game went on.
“I’m not chillin’!” LeBron told Kyle Anderson, who was trying to calm the Lakers superstar down while Bane was behind him. “Nah, he ain’t hoopin’. He talkin’ s—. This is the last motherf—ing time I’m gonna say it. You start making a couple of shots, then you start talking s—. … F— that, I don’t play that s—.”
Bane and the Grizzlies got the best of LeBron and the Lakers. They also irritated the Akron native so much that he started cursing and talking trash.
It’s been that type of season for LeBron, who is putting up spectacular numbers at 37 and in his 19th season but can’t get his supporting cast to follow his lead.
It’s Easy to See Why LeBron Is Frustrated
LeBron normally doesn’t talk trash to his opponents. He tends to let his explosive game do the talking for him. However, the Lakers have been so putrid this season that LeBron’s temper has been short.
Los Angeles is 24-27 despite LeBron averaging 29.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists. It certainly has to be aggravating for the 17-time All-Star to play like an MVP and still have a losing record. If things don’t change quickly, the Lakers could miss the playoffs for the second time since LeBron signed with them in the summer of 2018 as an unrestricted free agent.
If the purple and gold find a way to make the postseason, it would undoubtedly be fun to see them face the Grizzlies given the history between LeBron and Bane. Only time will tell if the Lakers can turn their season around and qualify for the playoffs in the rugged Western Conference, but if they do, and the Grizzlies are their first-round opponent, that seven-game series would likely have several eyes on it.