LeBron James Was Fired Up to See Former Teammate Kyrie Irving Courtside After Big Dunk

Kyrie Irving pulled up to watch LeBron James and Luka Doncic Wednesday.
LeBron James points to Kyrie Irving after a dunk
LeBron James points to Kyrie Irving after a dunk / Screengrab via NBA on TNT

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James was pumped up to see a familiar face sitting courtside Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. His former teammate and current Dallas Mavericks star guard Kyrie Irving pulled up to watch James, as well as his former Mavs teammate Luka Doncic, as the Lakers aim to avoid elimination in Game 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

After a big dunk late in the first half, James looked straight to Irving and pointed his way as a nod to his longtime friend and co-star on the way to an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.

Irving suffered a torn left ACL on March 3 which shut down his season early. He underwent a successful surgery following the injury in late March. The Mavs' tumultuous season, which spiraled out of control after they traded Doncic to the Lakers, ended in the Western Conference play-in tournament.

After a tough season in Dallas with a devastating end, Irving looks to be in good spirits in L.A. as he watches his former teammates battle to keep their own season alive.

The Lakers currently trail the Timberwolves 3-1 in their first-round series. The winner of the Wolves-Lakers series will advance to the second round to play the winner of the Golden State Warriors-Houston Rockets series, which the Warriors lead 3-2 after the Rockets won Game 5 Wednesday.


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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.