Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Lebron James, NBA
James Taylor
LeBron James dropped an instant response after Bronny James delivered some of the biggest news this year for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers made a disappointing start to their NBA season, losing 119-109 to rivals Golden State Warriors in the opening game.
It was a disappointing result for the Lakers, who are already without NBA legend LeBron James for the opening weeks, as he recovers from injury.
In his absence, the pressure has shifted onto Luka Doncic, who led the scoring on Tuesday night with 43 points against the Warriors.
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The Slovenian star only joined the Lakers in February, arriving as part of a trade deal that rocked the sport, with Anthony Davis heading in the opposite direction to the Mavericks.
Now, new details have emerged about one of the biggest deals in American sports history.
NBA journalist Yaron Weitzman has revealed the full story in his new book, A Hollywood Ending: The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers.
According to Weitzman, it was actually LeBron's son Bronny that was the first to alert Lakers teammates to the news.
He sent a post from ESPN insider Shams Charania into the players' group chat.
At first, Bronny and the players were unsure if the post was genuine or if Charania had been hacked.
That was until Davis responded in the group chat, before abruptly leaving the chat.
It was then that LeBron James chimed in, writing: "WTF."
Reflecting on that moment later, James admitted: “My emotions were all over the place. At first, I thought it was a hoax.
"But AD FaceTimed me, and even after that, it didn’t seem real until I saw Luka today.”
James and Davis had spent five years as teammates in Los Angeles, winning the championship together in 2020.
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Despite their success, the consensus was that the Lakers had 'won the trade', while furious Mavericks fans called for their general manager, Nico Harrison, to be sacked.
Davis struggled with injuries during the remainder of the season, averaging 20 points in his nine appearances.
Meanwhile, Doncic impressed with an average of 28.2 points per game across 28 matches.
Ultimately, it was a disappointing campaign for both teams, with the Mavericks losing in the play-off round of the postseason, while the Lakers exited in the opening round of the playoffs.
With the new season underway, there were early concerns among Lakers fans on Tuesday night when it appeared that Doncic had tweaked his groin.
Head coach JJ Redick has since played down the issue by saying that it was unlikely to be anything major.
That update will come as a relief for the Lakers, who are already without James for the opening weeks, and will need Doncic on top of his game to stay competitive.