To those who may not be aware of it, Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton was drafted to the NBA in 2003 — in the same Draft class as his new cornerstone superstar LeBron James. This is quite an amusing fact, and even Walton himself seems to think so.
Lakers insider Harrison Faigen shared a quote from Walton pertaining to this very fact, in which the coach poked fun at himself's and LeBron's disparity in physical fitness.
https://twitter.com/hmfaigen/status/1042647623205675011
At 36, Walton is the youngest head coach in the NBA today. LeBron, 33, is actually just three years younger than his coach. As we all know, James started very young in the league — he was only 19 when he entered the NBA.
Article Continues BelowWalton played only 10 seasons in the league before calling it quits, while James is set to embark on his 16th season this term. Nonetheless, LeBron is looking like anything but a 16-year veteran, and perhaps there is some harmless jealousy from the part of Walton.
For those who are curious, Walton was drafted 31 places below LeBron, who happened to be the first overall pick in the 2003 Draft.
Whatever the case may be, Walton is surely delighted with the fact that he will have one of the best players of his generation at his disposal this coming season. There have been some ugly rumors about James not being able to get along with his former Cavs coach Tyronn Lue, so hopefully, this is not going to be the case in L.A.