DeAndre Ayton and LeBron James shared the court as teammates for the first time on Tuesday night, but according to Ayton, their connection actually goes back much further than anyone realized.

After the Los Angeles Lakers’ 140-126 win over the Utah Jazz, Ayton revealed a fascinating story during his postgame comments. The big man told reporters that LeBron throwing him an alley-oop wasn’t exactly a new experience.

“I was telling him a fun fact,” Ayton said with a grin. “He threw me an alley-oop and I told him, ‘That’s my second alley-oop from you. The first one was when I was in eighth grade at your camp.”

It’s the kind of surreal, full-circle NBA moment only LeBron’s two-decade-long career can produce, a superstar entering his 23rd season, throwing lobs to a player who once attended his youth camp as a middle-schooler.

James made his long-awaited season debut after missing training camp and the Lakers’ first 14 games. The 40-year-old future Hall of Famer looked sharp in his return, posting 11 points and 12 assists in 30 minutes while orchestrating the Lakers’ offense to perfection in the second half.

Luka Dončić, playing his second season in Los Angeles, handled the scoring load with 37 points and 10 assists, including 17 points in a blistering third-quarter run that helped the Lakers separate from Utah for good.

Ayton added efficient interior scoring and physicality on both ends as the Lakers improved their chemistry in what already looks like one of the league’s most intriguing new duos. But on a night full of milestones, including LeBron becoming the first player in NBA history to appear in 23 seasons, the alley-oop anecdote quickly became a viral highlight.

From throwing lobs to an eighth grader… to doing it in an NBA game nearly a decade later.

For LeBron James, longevity isn’t just about stats. It’s about stories like these, and the players he’s influenced long before they became his teammates.

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