In the world of sports, there are certain words that cannot be uttered without some form of retaliation being expected. Following a heated exchange between Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, people on social media did their best to lip read what the latter supposedly said leading up to his ejection. And it was not received well by LA head coach Darvin Ham.

Tension first arose after Cam Reddish bumped Tari Eason. Things got a little testy from there. Eventually, Udoka allegedly said something along the lines of “you have to stop crying like b**ches” to the Lakers. James took great offense, as the two had a back-and-forth. Both received technicals, but because that was the coach's second on the night, he was automatically tossed from the game.

LA, led by a dominant showing from Anthony Davis (27 points and 14 rebounds), claimed a 107-97 victory in the Crypto.com Arena and delivered Houston its third consecutive loss. Ham has a final retort, however.

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“There ain't no crying b**ches over here, Saginaw said so,” he fired back, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, via NBA Today. Darvin Ham, a native of Saginaw, Michigan, clearly does not take kindly to the toughness of his team and franchise player being called out.

If this verbal sparring match is lingering in both locker rooms, fans should expect the intensity to be a little extra when the Lakers (12-9) and the Rockets (8-9) battle each other next. But it won't be until January of 2024.