There are plenty of things bigger than basketball, and as a 22-year veteran who has seen it all, LeBron James knows this all too well. The Los Angeles Lakers forward is the league's elder statesman and his voice carries a ton of weight. And while one could argue it's up to LeBron to play hype man ahead of this Friday's NBA Cup matchup between the Lakers and Spurs, LeBron went a different route on Wednesday night.

Instead of talking about Victor Wembanyama, old banana boat pal Chris Paul, or the 6-6 Spurs, LeBron instead paid tribute to long-time Spurs head coach, his “dear friend,” Gregg Popovich, who is currently out indefinitely after suffering a mild stroke earlier this month.

LeBron James and Gregg Popovich are the longest-tenured player and coach in the NBA respectively, and they've had countless battles on the hardwood over the last two decades. They've met three times in the Finals, with Pop's Spurs having a 2-1 edge over LeBron-led teams. Along the way, two of the most successful men to ever have any affiliation with the National Basketball Association built a beautiful friendship based on mutual respect, a common moral compass, and likely, a love of wine.

Lakers-Spurs NBA Cup tilt highlighted by LeBron-Wemby showdown 

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) dunks the ball during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena.
Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
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The Lakers and Spurs will take part in their first NBA Cup game of the 2024-25 season on Friday night, and both teams will enter coming off a pair of wins, and a pair of noteworthy performances from their biggest stars.

Victor Wembanyama scored a career-high 50 points against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night in San Antonio's 139-130 win. The second-year phenom hit 18-of-29 shots from the field in just 32 minutes of work against the Wiz, and San Antonio improved to 6-6 on the season with the victory. After an admittedly sluggish start to the season, Wemby has rounded into shape and is averaging 22.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.8 blocks per game.

Meanwhile, LeBron James got the better of Father Time once again on Wednesday night, delivering a bonkers 35 point, 12 rebound and 14 assist stat line in a 128-123 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. It was his third consecutive triple-double, which broke the record he set five years ago as the oldest player in league history to record three straight triple-doubles.

Eyes of NBA fans will be on LeBron and Wemby on Friday night, but here's hoping the King gets the chance to spend some time with Coach Pop away from the court over the next 48 hours.