LeBron James and Anthony Davis had a hilarious back-and-forth after LeBron achieved yet another historic milestone: breaking the 40,000-point mark. In the Starting Five docuseries, Anthony Davis couldn’t resist poking fun at LeBron, pointing out a strange trend that seems to follow LeBron’s monumental moments.
Anthony Davis: “You gotta stop breaking records. Every time you break one, we lose.”
LeBron James: “Every time bro. Every f**king time. This s**t is disgusting.”
It’s hard to argue with them. Every time LeBron James has broken a major record, the Lakers have somehow ended up losing the game. This bizarre trend came into focus once again when LeBron became the first player in NBA history to score 40,000 points. Despite the historic achievement, the Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets that night bu 10 points.
This isn’t the first time the Lakers have found themselves on the losing end after a LeBron milestone. The pattern dates back to several of his biggest achievements over the years.
In the 2018-19 season, when LeBron passed Michael Jordan on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, the Lakers lost by 16 points to Denver. Fast forward to the 2019-20 season when LeBron passed Kobe Bryant in scoring. The Lakers were blown out by 17 points against the Philadelphia 76ers.
In the 2021-22 season, when LeBron passed Karl Malone to become second on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, the Lakers squandered a 16-point lead to lose against a shorthanded Washington Wizards team. Later that same season, when LeBron became the all-time leading scorer (including playoff points), the Lakers suffered a disappointing two-point loss to a Warriors team playing without Draymond Green.
Even more baffling was the night LeBron became the first player in NBA history to reach the 10,000-point, 10,000-assist, and 10,000-rebound milestone in the 2021-22 season. Instead of celebrating with a win, the Lakers were handed a 29-point defeat by the Phoenix Suns.
One of the most notable instances came in the 2022-23 season when LeBron broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record in an iconic game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, despite the fanfare and LeBron’s achievement, the Lakers lost that game as well by three points.
Another recent example occurred during the 2023-24 season when the Lakers unveiled Kobe Bryant’s statue outside of Crypto.com Arena. Unfortunately, the team once again faced the Nuggets that night and lost the game by eight points.
One of the worst losses in this long list came in the 2023-24 season when LeBron broke the all-time NBA record for minutes played. The Lakers were dismantled by the Philadelphia 76ers, losing by a shocking 44 points.
The streak of bad luck in these historic games clearly hasn’t gone unnoticed by LeBron and AD. But while the losses sting, LeBron’s individual greatness and the milestones he’s achieved will continue to define his legendary career. Though the Lakers may not always get the win on those nights, LeBron’s legacy remains untarnished.
