The remade and reloaded Los Angeles Lakers may have announced their arrival on Tuesday night by defeating the Dallas Mavericks in a revenge game for Luka Doncic. With each passing day the blockbuster trade is looking more and more like a gigantic win for the Lakers and a befuddling move by the Mavs.
Doncic and James were spectacular in the 107–99 victory, combining for 46 points, 27 rebounds and 15 assists. But the true magic isn't adequately captured on the box score as the dynamic duo worked together in harmony to create a pairing that no opposing team would willingly sign up to face in the playoffs.
On his show Wednesday, Colin Cowherd had high praise for what he saw, likening the moment to something out of a bygone era of Lakers greatness.
"I think JJ Redick has figured it out," Cowherd said. "I think that it happened faster than the D-Wade-LeBron convergence. ... There's a Magic-Kareem feel to it. Where Magic runs the show but if you got to about four minutes left, Magic gave it to the big fella, 'You drop in the skyhook.'"
"There's a Magic-Kareem feel to it."@ColinCowherd thinks JJ Redick has solved the Lebron-Luka puzzle pic.twitter.com/w1NAg3rZv1
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) February 26, 2025
Some would say that it's too quick to connect these dots. But no one would argue that James and Doncic are every bit the all-time greats that Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were during their careers. The game and how it's played has changed so much, yet at the end of the day, there are some clear similarities between the two duos. Especially when it comes to how they will operate over the course of the first 40 minutes vs. the final eight of every given game.
No one should be planning a championship parade for the Lakers quite yet. At the same time, it's hard to be anything but impressed by what was on display Tuesday night as the two all-world players seem to be ahead of the curve when it comes to sharing the basketball.
More of the Latest Around the NBA
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Luka Doncic-LeBron James Pairing Already Drawing Comparisons to Legendary Lakers Duo.
