Lakers’ LeBron James Mentions Sixers-Knicks in Postgame Rant

LA Lakers superstar LeBron James ranted about the NBA's replay center, and name-dropped the Sixers and the Knicks.

Apr 22, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) in the first / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Shortly after the Philadelphia 76ers dropped their Game 2 matchup against the New York Knicks in dramatic fashion, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets tipped off their Game 2 battle at the home of the defending NBA Champions.

Similar to the Sixers, the visiting Lakers fell short against Denver in a tight matchup that resulted in a 101-99 victory for the home team, who took a 2-0 lead in the series.

After the game, Lakers star LeBron James fielded questions about his team’s loss. By no means did the NBA superstar avoid accountability for his team’s shortcomings throughout the night, but LeBron felt the need to call out the NBA’s replay center for missing a foul on his teammate in a critical moment.

As LeBron ranted about the situation, he mentioned the Sixers-Knicks matchup as another example of what he’s talking about.

“I don’t understand what’s going on in the replay center, to be honest,” James said. “[D’Angelo Russell] clearly gets hit on the face on a drive. … It doesn’t make sense to me. Makes no sense to me. It bothers me. Then I just saw what happened with the Sixers-Knick game, too. What are… What are we doing?”

LeBron then put the mic down and walked off frustrated.

Meanwhile, in New York, the Sixers were reportedly planning to file a complaint with the NBA over officiating in Games 1 and 2 of their series. The decision came after a critical Game 2 loss on the road, where the Sixers held a five-point lead in the final minute just to see it evaporate in 20 seconds.

Both, the Sixers and the Lakers find themselves in a two-game hole to begin the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Both teams will return to action on Thursday night in a different location.

The Sixers will host the Knicks at the Wells Fargo Center for a 7:30 tip. The Lakers and the Nuggets will fire up their Game 3 right after.