CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 12: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers talks with a teammate during a game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on March 12, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. The Lakers defeated the Bulls 123-107. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)A clip of LeBron James talking to a referee during Tuesday night’s Los Angeles Lakers-Oklahoma City Thunder game has gone viral on social media.
The clip shows LeBron talking to the referee and telling him to ignore any stories he’s ready about the star’s demise on defense.
LeBron didn’t seem to be happy with a call from the referee. He wanted to remind him that he’s actually playing good defense this year.
“I know you’ve been reading and saying I haven’t been playing defense the last couple of years, but it’s a new year!” James tells the ref.
James actually has been playing good defense this year, too.
The Lakers star’s defensive rating has gone from 107.6 in 2018-19 to 96.4 this season. It’s still early, and that rating will likely go up as the year goes on, but still.
LeBron is right – it’s a new season and both he and the Lakers are playing at an incredibly high level on both ends of the court.
