LeBron James has angrily hit back at claims he wanted Anthony Davis out of the Los Angeles Lakers, after his seismic trade to the Dallas Mavericks was announced on Sunday night.
The Lakers are are sending Davis, a 2029 first-round pick and Max Christie to the Mavericks, in exchange for Luka Doncic, one of the stars of the NBA, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris.
The news shook the sporting world to the core, far beyond the NBA. But it is, unquestionably, one of the biggest trades in the NBA history.
Bill Reiter, the NBA Insider for CBS, told his channel that he had heard talk last year in the Lakers organization that James was growing frustrated with Davis.
‘It wasn’t that AD was going to be traded, it was just something to keep an eye on. LeBron is frustrated with AD and doesn’t think that it is working,’ Reiter said.
James, 40, hit back abruptly on X, replying to the video clip with a Pinocchio emoji and a clown emoji plus the comment: ‘You a fkn lie!!!’
LeBron James has slammed claims that he wanted Anthony Davis to leave the Lakers
James angrily hit out at a reporter who said he had grown frustrated with teammate Davis
James scored 33 points at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday night as his team beat the Knicks 128-112. Davis did not feature in the game.
But James himself apparently only learned about the deal while he was out to dinner with his family after the win over the New York Knicks.
‘James was surprised by the news, is processing it and had no idea it was in the works,’ ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin said on X early on Sunday morning.
According to ESPN, the trade talks were instigated by the Mavericks. Both Davis and Doncic were also unaware of the news ahead of time, they said.
The 25-year-old Doncic hasn’t played since Christmas Day after exiting his team’s game against the Timberwolves with a calf strain.
And the move for Doncic suggests that the Lakers are ushering in a new era with Doncic surely in line to lead the team whenever James, 40, retires.
The Lakers, fifth in the Western Conference, face the Mavericks in Los Angeles on Feb. 25.
