Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James admitted he called dropping 40 points against the Atlanta Hawks, though he would be lying if he didn't thought he couldn't achieve it.
James said as much in his interview with Spectrum SportsNet after the game, sharing that his slow start had him doubting that he could even breach 40 points. LeBron finished with 47 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists after making just two points on 1-of-5 shooting in the first quarter.
“I called it [scoring 40] before the game so I had to make it happen. After starting 1-for-5 I didn't know it was going to happen,” James revealed.
LeBron James made up for his ugly start with a strong second quarter, during which he banked 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field. He was just unstoppable after that, adding more to his tally with a stronger second half that saw him drop 29 points on an efficient 11-of-14 overall shooting including 3-of-4 from deep.
The performance from the 38-year-old, who was celebrating his birthday on the same day, had the whole NBA Twitter buzzing. Fans were quick to praise LeBron and call him the GOAT, especially after leading the Lakers to the 130-121 win.
"I called it before the game so I had to make it happen. After starting 1-for-5 I didn't know it was going to happen." @KingJames with @LakersReporter on his 47-point performance against Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/R2GFUhg7AN
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) December 31, 2022
It is definitely an unforgettable performance for LeBron, who had his wife and mom watch him from the sidelines. Besides, there's no better way for him to celebrate his birthday than show both his fans and haters that he still has what it takes to dominate the game.
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