LeBron James has drawn all sorts of strong feelings throughout his 23-year NBA career. Though he is on the receiving end of scathing criticism just about every week, James is also widely admired by his peers over the past two decades.
Adulation, however, might not have been on Alperen Sengun’s mind in a viral clip from this past Saturday. In this clip, Sengun appears to get up on his feet to pay respect to the King, who was walking right by him.
During the Rockets’ practice session on Monday, Sengun set the record straight.
“I just saw that video today. Everybody was sending it to me. It’s kind of funny. I was just trying to get something out of my pocket. That’s why I got up. No disrespect to LeBron…but I didn’t stand up for him.”
Only Sengun can tell what he was genuinely thinking at that moment, but if the Rockets are to win this series against the Lakers, the All-Star center will have to throw reverence out of the window and get down to business.
The Rockets could not take care of business on Game 1 as the Lakers, who are missing the services of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, came away with the 107-98 win. LeBron James flirted with a triple-double as he posted 19 points, 13 assists, and eight rebounds.
While Sengun also came up big with 19 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, he struggled to shoot efficiently, making just 31.6% of his field goal attempts.
“He’ll Never Not Be Good”: Nick Wright Gives LeBron James His Flowers After Game 1 of Lakers-Rockets Series
As for Fox Sports’ Nick Wright, LeBron James deserves major props for helping drive the Lakers to success in Game 1.
“He’ll always be good. He’ll never not be good…For the postseason, there are not 10 guys in the league that I would rather have running the show than LeBron.”
Though several pundits have doubted the Lakers’ chances without their starting backcourt, James once again showed what he’s capable of when he’s handed the keys to a team.
