Lakers star LeBron James is the latest NBA player to embrace the in-season tournament for what it is: real, competitive basketball.
That’s how the Bucks’ Damian Lillard described the tournament on Tuesday night, and James would seem to agree.
After the Lakers’ 106—103 win over the Suns in the in-season tournament quarterfinal game on Tuesday, James told reporters that he’s pumped up to “fight” against “the greatest competitors in the world.”
"It's the inauguration...You got the greatest competitors in the world fighting for something so, let's fight." 🗣️@KingJames and the Lakers have their eyes set on the first-ever NBA Cup 🏆 pic.twitter.com/W58NQ6R36O
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 6, 2023
The once-wary skeptics of the NBA in-season tournament appear to be finally coming around.
In Tuesday’s win, James went on a hot streak in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 of his 31 points. He and the Lakers got caught up in an officiating controversy late in the game when referee Tom Washington gave Los Angeles a timeout after Austin Reaves lost control of the ball upon receiving an inbounds pass.
NBA games getting marred by questionable calls is nothing new. The in-season tournament nonetheless seems to be serving its purpose of injecting an extra dose of competition into the regular season and giving grizzled vets like James another line to list on his resume.
The top-seeded Lakers will face the Pelicans in the semifinals at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday.
