Lakers Great Rips LeBron James for Behavior on Bench: 'I Didn't Like That'
There is generally an accepted and unwritten rule regarding the decorum of sitting on the bench in basketball.
If you are on the bench but unable to play for any reason (injury, rest, etc.), you are usually expected to participate somehow.
Whether it’s just watching, observing and analyzing, helping coach, or just being an additional cheerleader, the least that you can do for your team while they’re playing without you is to give them your undivided attention.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James ran afoul of this unwritten rule and an NBA legend is calling him out for it.
The Lakers lost to the Golden State Warriors in a Friday preseason tilt to the tune of a 129-125 final score.
James suited up for the first half, before shutting things down for the second half — a common occurrence in relatively meaningless preseason games.
Had James simply shut things down and shown up on the bench to cheer his teammates on, this would be a non-story.
But James actually enjoyed (regretted?) a little bit of virality when a video clip was shared by Warriors reporter Zena Keita of his antics in the second half.
LeBron said “y’all got it.” 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/s09oYjFcEl
— Zena Keita (@itszenakeita) October 14, 2023
In the video, you can clearly see that James had completely changed out of his uniform into more casual street clothes, and was casually enjoying his dinner on the Lakers bench.
That image did not sit well with Lakers legend and five-time NBA champion Michael Cooper.
Speaking on his own podcast, “The Showtime Podcast,” Cooper actually maligned James for the stunt.
As co-host Nick Gelso got to analyzing the preseason Lakers game with Cooper, the longtime Laker shared his thoughts on James’ impromptu dinner video.
“LeBron had dinner on the bench,” Gelso said. “He went and got showered and changed and came out as a spectator…”
“I didn’t like that,” Cooper interjected. “I didn’t like that.”
“I didn’t either bro,” Gelso said.
The 1987 NBA Defensive Player of the Year elaborated on why he had an issue with it: “Again, he’s LeBron James, but still, you got to have respect for the game man. He’s sitting over there.
“I don’t mind the guy eating, but go eat in the locker room, and then when you come out and then you can come out and be part of the team, not just sit at the end of the bench eating.”
Gelso also added: “And [he] got changed!”
James finished the preseason game with 12 points, five assists and two rebounds in a brisk 18 minutes of action.
The NBA regular season begins Tuesday, Oct. 24, in which James and the Lakers will look to avenge last year’s playoff loss to the eventual NBA Champion Denver Nuggets and superstar big man Nikola Jokic.
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