Although keeping information close to the vest is more difficult when a megastar such as Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James is on the team, the 19-time All-Star made a surprise return to the court on Mar. 26.
That Sunday, as the Lakers faced the Chicago Bulls, James returned to the court a bit earlier than expected. There had been a bit of conflicting information about when LeBron would be back from his foot injury, with most projections having him returning the L.A.'s lineup during the last week of the regular season.
Instead, James was a bit ahead of schedule, letting reporters know after the game that he could have opted for surgery but decided against it for the time being.
While fans and media members were certainly in for a surprise when LeBron suited up, there was perhaps no party that was caught off-guard more than the Bulls.
Bulls gritty point guard Patrick Beverley, no stranger to media attention, hilariously recount how Chicago reacted to the news that James was available for their matchup (h/t Michael Allardyce of NBC Sports Chicago):
“We locked down. We got a game plan, we're preparing a game plan and everything. LeBron ain't playing, whoa, whoa, whoa, LeBron is playing,” Beverley recounted. “Oh this m-f****r… he got some nerve, he got some nerve to pop up on this game.”
LeBron finished the contest with 19 points, eight rebounds, and three assists in 29.5 minutes.
For the season, James is averaging 29.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game while shooting 50.2 percent from the field.
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