LeBron James spoke after the Lakers’ 125-109 win over the Brooklyn Nets, highlighting Austin Reaves’ return from injury. “For as long as he’s been out, obviously number one thing is rhythm and then your fatigue, how fast you get fatigued. Just a boost for all of us, especially at the end of a road trip to get a guy like that back,” James said.
Discussing the team’s pace, he added, “At the end of the day we’re all NBA teams and we have to figure out a way we can execute. We wanted to finish the trip off the right way. It’s an eight-game road trip, went five and three. You play the game that’s in front of you, and we did that close to 48 minutes.”
James shared a personal moment with his son Bronny during the game. “Yeah, absolutely. My wife saying ‘come over,’ and us being able to have that moment for our son. It was pretty cool. It’s a prime moment we will never forget,” he said.
On his legacy beyond basketball, James reflected, “My legacy is my kids, my community, my family. That’s all that matters to me. Basketball has given me an unbelievable platform, but personally, my legacy will go through my kids and the things I do to inspire.”
Looking at the team’s progress, he said, “We just want to get healthy. Tonight was the first time we had everybody in the lineup, obviously still missing our rookie, but we’re getting close to healthy and we’ll see what happens.”
James also noted the professionalism of the Lakers amid trade deadline distractions. “We all professionals, we have a job to do no matter what’s going on, no matter what the outside noise is talking about. We come together, prepare for each game, and try to help each other, and that’s what we’ve been doing,” he said.
In the game, James scored 25 points with seven assists and three steals while Luka Doncic added 24 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Austin Reaves returned from a 19-game absence to contribute 15 points in 21 minutes.
The Lakers dominated early, shooting 20-for-25 in the first quarter and finishing 54 percent overall with 25 assists. Jake LaRavia added 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, while Deandre Ayton grabbed eight rebounds and contributed three assists.
Brooklyn struggled despite 48 percent shooting, turning the ball over 20 times and hitting just 10-of-41 from three. Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Los Angeles improved to 30-19, while Brooklyn fell to 13-36.
The Lakers return home Thursday to face Philadelphia, and the Nets host Orlando on the same night.
