LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers Ready for Rematch Against Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
SAN ANTONIO — It's not disrespect. It's just LeBron James.
That's how Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham described the work ethic of his 21-year superstar. James' health was up in the air and in question prior to a potential face off against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday night, but it didn't if it was Wembanyama or the South Bay Lakers' entire roster.
James wanted to play.
"It's no disrespect," Ham said with a chuckle prior to the game. "[LeBron] is just so passionate. It doesn't matter who's playing. He wants to play."
Just 30 minutes prior to tipoff, James was ruled out with a calf injury. He had just played the night before against the Dallas Mavericks and the Lakers opted to keep him sat to prepare for a rematch on Friday — this time against Wembanyama.
Against the same rookie that Los Angeles couldn't stop praising.
Dec 13, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) dribbles the ball in front of Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) in the first quarter at the Frost Bank Center.
© Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports
"I thought I had a wide-open layup in the first quarter, maybe second," Lakers guard Austin Reaves said. "Next thing I knew, it was going off the glass at a pretty high speed. ... It's not just that he’s tall, he’s mobile. He's got good timing. He's got good hand-eye coordination to get his hands on shots.
"He's a very interesting player with a very bright future.”
In what ended up being a historic night for the Spurs rookie, Wembanyama recorded 30 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks to not only become the first rookie to average 2.8 blocks per game, but the first teenager.
His late-game takeover willed San Antonio to a comeback, despite being down by as many as 18 points late in the second half. He took smart shots, made smart shots and went toe-to-toe with Anthony Davis — one of the league's premiere big men — en route to a nail-biting three-point loss.
“[Wembanyama] doesn’t stop competing,” Ham following the game. “When the game was hanging in the balance, he made some big plays for them.”
Davis didn't let that determine the outcome of the game, however. He did thing as well, notching 37 points of his own for the second straight game, including 24 in the first half and gave Wembanyama a welcome-to-the-NBA moment in the process.
But even after the win, he gave the 19-year-old his flowers.
“Obviously, he's extremely talented, a three-level scorer," Davis said of Wembanyama. "It was fun playing against him. He's been talked about a lot from his time overseas, and then to Summer League and now. The team is struggling, but he's playing extremely well and he's able to keep them in games.
"It's all about him, and he showed why he was the number one pick and leading candidate for rookie of the year.”
It's true. The San Antonio Spurs are the only show in town, and Wembanyama is the frontman of it. All eyes, all cameras and all attention is on him whenever he takes the court. Sound familiar?
It does to James.
The Lakers' 38-year-old frontman — just a few weeks away from turning 39 — is set to take the stage against Wembanyama Friday night in what will become the first battle between two generational prospects. The first meeting of two greats.
But instead of focusing on the player, Wembanyama — like James — is only worried about improving as a team. He hopes to will San Antonio to its first victory in 43 days.
“I don’t think it comes down to set play or tactics or nothing,” Wembanyama said. “I think it’s like playing hard and playing smart. In the first half [Wednesday], we had neither of those. At least if we’re not making shots or if we can’t get to the basket on offense, we need to get stops.”
And on the Lakers side, they're looking forward to welcoming back James and avoiding another almost-disaster.
It's a tale of two franchises, both in very different situations. They're set to face off again Friday night, however, with history on the line. In other words, the stage is set.
LeBron and the Lakers are ready. And Wembanyama's Spurs have to be.
“With [LeBron] out of the lineup, [Davis] was trying to put the team on his back. Raising his aggression to score, defend, try to be a leader in the huddle out there, trying to get the guys together," Ham said.
"[But] we’ve definitely got to get better at some things, and we will."
Tipoff from Frost Bank Center is set for 6:30 p.m. CST.
