INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) 鈥� LeBron James says he spent two days in disbelief after the Los Angeles Lakers , his close friend and teammate for 5 1/2 years.
The top scorer in NBA history is finally coming to grips with the idea of forming a new partnership with Luka Doncic, who also holds a special place in James' esteem.
鈥淟uka has been my favorite player in the NBA for a while now,鈥� James said Tuesday night after scoring 26 points in . 鈥淚鈥檝e always just tried to play the game the right way and inspire the next generation, and Luka happens to be one of them, and now we鈥檙e teammates. So it鈥檒l be a very seamless transition.鈥�
Like the rest of the world, James initially assumed the trade was a joke when he learned about it last Saturday night while at dinner with his family in New York.
鈥淢y emotions were all over the place,鈥� James said. 鈥淭he first time I heard it, I thought it was for sure fake. I thought it was a hoax. People messing around or whatever. But AD FaceTimed me, and I talked to him for quite a while. Even when I got off the phone with him, it still didn鈥檛 seem real. Pretty much didn鈥檛 seem real until I saw Luka today, and then I saw the clip of AD at the Dallas shootaround. That鈥檚 when it finally hit me, like, 鈥楾his is real.鈥欌��
Midway through his record-tying 22nd NBA season, the 40-year-old James has often said in recent years that he鈥檚 seen everything it鈥檚 possible to experience in the NBA.
This trade changed his mind.
鈥淎in鈥檛 never seen this,鈥� James said. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛. I鈥檝e seen it all, up until this one. I鈥檝e never been a part of a transaction like that. That was different. ... It was shocking when I heard the news, but at the end of the day, I understand the business of basketball."
The NBA trade deadline is Thursday, and James said he's determined to persevere in Los Angeles even after Davis' departure.
When asked if he was worried about the Lakers' focus shifting to Doncic and younger players, James replied: "What's wrong with that?"
鈥淚f I had concerns, I鈥檇 have waived my no-trade clause and got up out of here,鈥� he added. 鈥淟isten, I鈥檓 here right now. I鈥檓 committed to the Lakers organization. I鈥檓 here to help Luka and Maxi make the transition as smoothly as possible.鈥�
Doncic formally joined the Lakers on Tuesday, and he talked at length with James while watching from the bench at Intuit Dome. The Slovenian star is also still reeling from one of the biggest trades in NBA history, but he sounded excited Tuesday to join the Lakers' venerable history alongside James, his self-described idol.
And though JJ Redick and Tyronn Lue are opposing coaches in Los Angeles' crosstown NBA rivalry, they're firmly in agreement that Doncic and James will form a dynamite pairing for the Lakers.
鈥淚鈥檓 confident that we can figure out how to blend their talents together in a positive way in a very short amount of time,鈥� Redick said.
Although with the Lakers on Tuesday night, the high-scoring superstar already was the talk of the arena before the Lakers' first game since they swung the blockbuster trade sending Davis and Max Christie to the Dallas Mavericks for Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris.
Lue is well-positioned to understand what Redick must do when Doncic returns. Lue was James鈥� coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who won a championship with James playing alongside ballhawk guard Kyrie Irving.
Lue smirked when asked how he would respond to pundits and ex-players like Charles Barkley and who think James and Doncic won鈥檛 work well together because they鈥檙e both ball-dominant players.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e not right,鈥� Lue said. 鈥淚t鈥檒l work. When you have LeBron James, who鈥檚 been the best player in the league for the last 15 years, and you have Luka 鈥� who鈥檚 a top-three, top-five player in the league 鈥� they鈥檒l figure out how to make it work. LeBron can play with anybody. ... I know JJ will do a good job of stacking those guys so they each have their own unit, kind of like we did with Kyrie and LeBron, and then in the fourth quarter they鈥檒l close games together. They鈥檒l figure it out. It鈥檚 not a tough problem to have, I鈥檒l tell you that.鈥�
Redick and Doncic were teammates for the final 13 games of Redick's lengthy playing career in Dallas in 2021. Doncic later made appearances on Redick's well-regarded podcast.
鈥淚 would say we had a friendship (and) mutual respect,鈥� Redick said. 鈥淵ou then have to figure out how to have a working relationship as player/coach, and both him and I are committed to that. ... I'm excited to build that with him.鈥�
While James felt the deal personally, so did several teammates who love playing alongside the veteran Davis and up-and-coming wing Christie, a second-round pick by the Lakers three seasons ago.
鈥淭he last couple of days has been tough for me,鈥� Austin Reaves said. 鈥淚 feel like I had an empty pit in my stomach, just because in the last four years with AD, three years with Max, you create real relationships and bonds, and out of nowhere (they鈥檙e) on a different team, competing and doing what they want to do.鈥�
Talk about Doncic was a theme all across LA.
Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar praised the Lakers' acquisition of Doncic, one of the few Slovenian athletes more famous than Kopitar, who already reached out to his countryman with congratulations.
鈥淗e鈥檚 obviously a superstar around the world, not just in Slovenia,鈥� Kopitar said. 鈥淔or our country, being so small, obviously everybody knows him. And it was a big deal, I know from what I heard from back home. It鈥檚 nice to have him here.鈥�
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AP freelancer Dan Greenspan in El Segundo contributed to this report.
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AP NBA:
Greg Beacham, The Associated Press
