Women's Fastbreak On SI

LeBron James, Luka Doncic Compare to Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell via Similar Stat

Los Angeles Lakers superstars LeBron James and Luka Doncic did something extremely similar to Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell on Tuesday.
Grant Young|
Feb 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) and forward LeBron James (23) during the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
Feb 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) and forward LeBron James (23) during the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images | Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

The basketball world experienced one of the most shocking trades in all of sports history on February 1, when it was announced that the Los Angeles Lakers acquired generational talent Luka Doncic in a trade that sent Anthony Davis, Mac Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick back to the Dallas Mavericks.

In addition, the Lakers have also received Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris from the Mavericks while the Utah Jazz received Jalen Hood-Schifino, the Los Angeles Clippers' 2025 second-round pick, and the Mavericks' 2025 second-round pick.

Since this seismic trade, the Lakers have produced an 11-2 record and look like a 2025 NBA Championship contender. This is owed to the duo of LeBron James and Doncic, who both will likely go down as among the greatest basketball players of all time.

LeBron scored 34 points and made 5 three pointers while Doncic scored 30 points and made six three pointers in the Lakers' 136-115 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on March 3. As a result, James and Doncic became the first duo in Lakers franchise history to each record 30 points and at least five made threes in a single game.

While the stat isn't exactly matching, this impressive performance brought to mind a similar feat that Indiana Fever backcourt duo Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell produced during their September 15, 2024 win over the Dallas Wings.

In that game, Clark finished with 35 points and six made threes while Mitchell added 30 points and six made threes of her own. This made them the first duo in WNBA history to each record 30 points and at least five made threes in a single game.

So while Clark and Mitchell's record was WNBA history while the same LeBron and Doncic stat was franchise history, it's cool to see this parallel between two of basketball's best teammate duos.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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