Inside The Heat

Houston Rockets Forward Jabari Smith Tells LeBron James He Played Against His Dad

Smith and LeBron share an amazing pregame moment

Shandel Richardson

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Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is a timeless classic. 

He is in the middle of his 20th season, chasing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record and it seems he's played forever. 

On Monday, Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith during pregame of their game against each other. Smith made James feel old by sharing an amazing NBA moment. 

"Hey, you played against my dad your first NBA game ever," Smith said, the No. 3 pick in the 2022 draft. 

James responded, "Really?" 

Smith: "Sacramento." 

James: "Why you do that to me?"

Smith: "You feel old don't you."

James, who played for the Miami Heat from 2010-14, did indeed play against Jabari Smith Sr., in the first game of his NBA career against the Sacramento Kings in 2003. The longevity is just another part of James' greatness that has him in discussion as the league's greatest player. 

The best part is James, even at 38, has shown no signs of slowing down. So we get to witness his greatness for at least a few more years. 

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

TWITTER: @ShandelRich

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

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