LeBron James stunned by Trade with Anthony Davis but calls Luka Dončić his ‘favorite player’

Inglewood, California (AP) – LeBron James says he spent two days in unbelievers after Los Angeles Lakers traded And Anthony Davis, his close friend and teammate for 5 1/2 years.

The top goal scorer in the NBA story finally comes to the idea of ​​forming a new partnership with Luka Dončić, which also has a special place in James’ esteem.

“Luka has been my favorite player in the NBA for a while now,” James said Tuesday night after scoring 26 points in Lakers’ blowout victory over Clippers. “I’ve 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 are teammates. So it will be a very trouble -free transition. “

Like the rest of the world, James initially assumed that trade was a joke when he learned about the last Saturday night while at dinner with his family in New York.

“My feelings were everywhere,” James said. “The first time I heard it, I thought it was definitely fake. I thought it was a hoax. People messed around or whatever. But in facet -timed me and I talked to him for a while. Even when I got off the phone with him, it still didn’t really work. Almost didn’t really work until I saw Luka today, and then I saw cut off at Dalla’s Shootaround. That’s when it finally hit me, like ‘this is real.’ “

Midway through his record bond 22. This trade changed meaning.

“Not seen this,” James said. “I haven’t. I’ve seen it all until this one. I have never been part of such a transaction. It was different. … It was shocking when I heard the news, but at the end of the day I understand the basketball business. “

The NBA trading deadline is Thursday and James said he is determined to endure in Los Angeles, even after Davis’ departure.

When asked if he was worried about Lakers’ focus, which switched to Dončić and younger players, James replied: What’s wrong with that? “

“If I was worried, I would have waived my clause without trade and traveled from here,” he added. “Listen, I’m here right now. I am obliged to the Lakers organization. I’m here to help Luka and Maxi make the transition as smooth as possible. “

Dončić ended formally with Lakers on Tuesday, and he spoke in the long run with James while watching the bench at the Intuit Dome. The Slovenian superstar is also still rolling from one of the biggest trades in the NBA story, but he sounded excited on Tuesday to join Lakers’ honorable story with James, his self-described idol.

And although JJ Redick and Tyronn Lue are against coaches in Los Angeles’ Crosstown NBA rivalization, they agree that Doncic and James will form a dynamite pairing for Lakers.

“I am convinced that we can find out how we mix their talents together in a positive way in a very short time,” Redick said.

Although Dončić was not quite ready to debut with Lakers on Tuesday night, the high-scored superstar was already the lecture on the arena before Lakers’ first match when they swung the Blockbuster trade and sent Davis and Max Christie to Dallas Mavericks to Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris.

Lue is well positioned to understand what Redick should do when Dončić returns. Lue was James’ coach with Cleveland Cavaliers, who won a championship with James, who played with Ballhawk Guard Kyrie Irving.

Lue smirked when asked how he would respond to pundits and ex-players like Charles Barkley and Paul Pierce, who think James and Doncic do not work well together because they are both ball-dominant players.

“They’re not right,” Lue said. “It works. When you’ve LeBron James who’s been the best player in the league in the last 15 years and you’ve luka-as is a top-three, top-five plays in the league-finding they out of how to make it make function. LeBron can play with someone. … I know that JJ will do a good job of stacking these guys so they each have their own device, just like we did with Kyrie and LeBron, and then in the fourth quarter they close games together. They find out. It’s not a tough problem to have, I tell you. “

Redick and Doncic were teammates for the last 13 games in Redick’s long gaming career in Dallas in 2021. Doncic later appeared on Redick’s well -considered podcast.

“I would say we had a friendship (and) mutual respect,” Redick said. “You have to figure out how to have a working relationship as a player/coach, and both him and I are committed to it. … I’m excited about building it with him. “

While James felt the deal in person, it also made several teammates who love to play with veteran Davis and the upcoming and upcoming wing Christie, another round of choices of lakers three seasons ago.

“The last few days have been tough for me,” Austin Reaves said. “I want to have an empty grop in my stomach just because in the last four years of ad, three years of max, creating real conditions and bonds and out of nowhere (they are) on another team that competes and do what they want to do. “

Talk about Dončić was a theme everywhere in LA.

Los Angeles King’s Captain Anze Kopitar praised Lakers’ acquisition of Dončić, one of the few Slovenian athletes more famous than copy who already reached out to his compatriot with congratulations.

“He is clearly a superstar around the world, not just in Slovenia,” Kopitar said. “For our country, being so small, of course, all knows him. And it was a big thing I know from what I heard from home. It’s nice to have him here. “

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AP Freelancer Dan Greenspan in El Segundo contributed to this report.