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Deandre Ayton Had 'Fun Fact' for LeBron James, and It Is Sure to Make Him Feel Old

Ayton and James apparently connected on an alley-oop years before Tuesday‘s link-up with the Lakers.

Tim Capurso

Ayton (#5) and James (not pictured) wasted no time in connecting during the latter‘s season debut with the Lakers on Tuesday.
Ayton (#5) and James (not pictured) wasted no time in connecting during the latter‘s season debut with the Lakers on Tuesday. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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During the second quarter of Tuesday‘s Lakers win over the Jazz—LeBron James‘s season debut after a bout with sciatica—James, after establishing position in the post with the ball, tossed up a lob pass to big man Deandre Ayton, who jammed the ball home for the dunk. It was the first time that James and Ayton had connected for an alley-oop in their basketball careers.

Or was it?

According to Ayton, it was, in fact, the second time the two have linked up for an alley-oop.

"I was just telling him a fun fact," Ayton told reporters after the Lakers‘s 140-126 victory. "He threw me an alley-oop, I said, 'That‘s my second alley-oop from you. First one was when I was in eighth grade at your camp.' "

"He laughed and he was asking me where was it," Ayton continued. "And I was telling him it was a LeBron James Camp in Los Angeles—See I remember the play and everything. You know, he was court hopping and playing with the campers and I remember the one play, he did a drill with me and threw the alley-oop and I finished it. I couldn't believe he threw it.

"And now here I am again. I can't believe he threw the lob."

Aside from a truly awesome full-circle career moment for Ayton, the tidbit was also surely one guaranteed to make James, who is 40 years old and has been playing in the NBA for over two decades, feel old.

LeBron on his lob connection with Ayton

James spoke about how much "fun" he was having out on the court. And it's not hard to see why, as James logged 12 assists in 30 minutes. When asked about his connections with forward Jake LaRavia and Ayton, James explained that he used his time away from the court constructively.

"I can fit in with anybody," James said. "I don't even understand why that was even a question. What‘s wrong with these people out here? I could fit in with anybody. So, just watching the guys the first 14 games and seeing, I was putting myself in position, while I was watching the games, of how I can help the team and how I could be successful to help those guys."

James finished with 11 points, 12 assists, three rebounds and a steal.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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