LeBron James Credits Lakers Fan For Helping Him Secure Triple-Double vs Raptors

Valentina Martinez | Nov 11, 2024

Nov 10, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) grabs the rebound against Toronto Raptors forward Bruno Fernando (24) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

LeBron James earned his 115th career triple-double against the Toronto Raptors Sunday night. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar credited a fan for helping him secure his final rebound to complete the feat.

"He definitely yelled at me. He got my attention. He said 'One more rebound!' I was like 'What?' He was like 'One more!' So, I got one more and I pointed at him to acknowledge that I was listening," James said.

With less than two minutes left on the clock, James got a friendly reminder from a fan at Crypto.com Arena to get one more rebound. James proceeded to snag one off the backboard and pointed at the fan in the crowd.

The fan reportedly needed James to score one more rebound for his parlay and the Lakers star delivered. James finished the night with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 16 assists.

After leading-scorer Anthony Davis left the game with an eye injury, it was up to James to carry the Los Angeles squad to a victory.

"I don't have a choice," James told Lakers sideline reporter Mike Trudell. "I mean he goes down, I gotta put some more responsibility on my shoulders and try to make plays that help our team win."

Davis exited the game with a left eye injury with just over five minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Lakers were down by three when Davis made his departure, but James took the reins and led Los Angeles to a 123-103 triumph.

"LeBron took control of the game and not just with scoring the basketball, defensively with his rebounding, his playmaking," head coach JJ Redick said. "Really, you're in that situation and A.D. goes out and it requires more from everyone else."

Stepping up in Davis' absence is a tall order given his strong start to the 2024-25 campaign. Davis tallied 22 points, 4 boards, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal in his 26 minutes.

James was tasked with closing out the game once Davis went down with an injury. His triple-double performance helped the Lakers earn their second victory over Toronto this season.

D'Angelo Russell spoke highly of the veteran's performance against the Raptors.

"He's just dominating the game form every cylinder, from assists, rebounding, passing, leading," Russell said of James.

The Lakers remain undefeated at home, and wil look to move to 6-0 at home on Wednesday against the Memphis Grizzlies.

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