LeBron James apparently failed to read the room after Sunday’s game against the Phoenix Suns.
During the game, the Los Angeles Lakers star became the first player in NBA history to reach at least 10,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 10,000 assists in his career. James made sure to let everybody know about it afterwards, posting about the feat to his Instagram page and including a highlight against the Suns where he recorded his 10,000th career assist.
While the achievement is definitely noteworthy, it wasn’t exactly the best look for James. After all, the Lakers lost the game … and lost badly. They were absolutely clobbered by the Suns by a 140-111 final, dropping them back to nine games under .500 on the season.
At this point of his career, James seems to care more about his statistics, particularly about catching Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record, than about winning basketball games. He often remains in games late even if the Lakers are behind by double digits and have zero chance of winning, which gives him an opportunity to pad his numbers. James being so giddy about a somewhat arbitrary accomplishment in a game where his team got dismantled only seems to confirm his priorities.
Of course, there is the argument that James simply needs to put up numbers in order for his team to win — the Lakers still have not won a game after the All-Star break without The King scoring 50 or more points. But by now, we probably should not be surprised by this kind of extra behavior from James, who never wastes an opportunity to boast about himself.
Photo: Jan 21, 2022; Orlando, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) against the Orlando Magic during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
