LeBron James
The latest Lakers Mavericks matchup already carried the weight of a playoff atmosphere. Anthony Davis returned to Los Angeles for the first time since the franchise traded him to Dallas for Luka Doncic, and Kyrie Irving entered the building as another familiar figure from LeBron James’ championship past. The Lakers still grabbed a 129 to 119 win, boosted by Austin Reaves’ 38 points and Doncic’s 35 points and 11 assists, per ESPN. Even with the fireworks on the floor, the emotional undertone of the night revolved around James and the former teammates who helped define some of his most meaningful years.
Davis worked through a minutes restriction in his first game back and finished with 13 points and five rebounds. He received a loud ovation from the crowd, a nod to the title he delivered with James and the bond he created during those five and a half seasons in Los Angeles. Irving also crossed paths with James again, adding another layer of history to a game that did not feel like an ordinary meeting.
After the win, James told reporters that the night held more weight than anything on the scoreboard, Basketball Network reports. He made it clear that the connection he built with Davis, Irving, and the former Lakers coaches created a type of emotion that never fades.
“Of course. I mean, your old teammates, your old coaching staff,” James said. “So when you look over, for me personally, the emotion is always going to carry that.”
James explains the pull of seeing Anthony Davis again
James and Davis reached two conference finals together and carried the Lakers to a championship. Those shared seasons created something deeper than on court chemistry. James mentioned that Davis, D’Angelo Russell, and Max Christie spent a combined stretch of years with him that shaped the identity of multiple Laker teams.
The impact of the February trade still sits with him. In that moment, he described the shift as a “weird, uncomfortable, truth moment,” and he did not hide the difficulty of watching Davis leave. That honesty resurfaced on Friday night when he saw Davis in a different uniform on the Crypto.com Arena floor.
The matchup never turned tense between them, but it brought back the reality that they created a brotherhood that stretched beyond basketball. James acknowledged that bond in February and echoed it again when reporters asked him about the emotion of the reunion.
Kyrie Irving’s presence added another layer of history
James also touched on the sight of Irving across from him. They won a championship together in Cleveland, and even though their relationship took several turns over the years, Friday night reminded him of how much history the two still share. He did not directly compare the ties he built with Irving to the ones he formed with Davis, but the connection remained clear in the way he spoke about seeing multiple former championship teammates in one game.
The Lakers took control late with a 13 to 1 run that included big plays from Reaves and Deandre Ayton. James hit a critical three and helped close out a sixth straight win. The performance helped the Lakers sweep their NBA Cup group stage and secure a home quarterfinal, but James walked off the floor thinking about more than tournament standings.
He played against Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving again, and the emotion he carried into the night stayed with him long after the buzzer.