LA Lakers head coach, Darvin Ham, said the team focused on getting LeBron James to the record, which cost them the game against Thunders.
LeBron James surpassed Kareem Abdul Jabbar tonight and is now the leading point scorer in the NBA. The Lakers’ star forward clocked the record during the third quarter of the game. Moreover, as soon as James surpassed the record, the game was paused briefly to honor the 38-year-old veteran. The legend Kareem Abdul Jabbar, who was in attendance at the Crypto Arena, passed on the torch, a basketball, to LeBron and honored his historic feat.
Meanwhile, despite LeBron’s glory, the LA Lakers lost the game and registered the 30th loss of the season. LeBron James and Russell Westbrook put together 65 points in total. However, Anthony Davis struggled throughout and looked a little off. Amidst the criticism, the Lakers’ head coach, Dravin Ham, blamed the team’s approach and playing style for the loss.
Darvin Ham Says The Team’s Focus Shifted From Win To LeBron’s Record
Tonight’s game between Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder was all about LeBron James. The entire sports fraternity stayed glued to the game and waited for the historic moment. As the 38-year-old broke the record during the third quarter, the NBA officials briefly paused the game and honored the veteran. However, the happiness was short-lived as the purple and gold lost the match by 130-133 at the end of regulation time.
Meanwhile, Darvin Ham has shifted the blame to the team’s mindset for the game. Ham says the team, for the most part of the game, focused on getting LeBron James closer to his record rather than getting the team a few winning points. And in the process, the team’s concentration broke, and they played against their natural flow. Hence, the team ended up making unforced errors and eventually lost the game. Further, Ham admitted the loss would hurt the Lakers big time moving forward in the tournament.
“A lot of the times, the attention was all about trying to get Bron the record as opposed to just playing natural basketball” said Darvin Ham.
Lakers Head Coach Calls LeBron James A Global Icon
Darvin Ham, who witnessed LeBron James’ script history, spoke highly about the veteran. The coach said he feels honored to be a part of such a historic moment. Moreover, Ham praised LeBron for his journey and referred to him as a global icon. According to Darvin, apart from his on-court excellence, James has put in a lot of work on social issues. And that makes him a true example of how a human being should be.
On the other hand, LeBron’s on-court partner, Anthony Davis, expressed his delight in witnessing James’ historic record live in person. AD said the 38-year-old veteran has put a lot of effort, sweat, blood, and tears into the game, and he truly deserves the honor. Meanwhile, as the ultimate existing record is broken, LeBron James now has the opportunity to script history by becoming the only player to breach the 40,000 career points mark.