By EFE
10 Dec 2023, 08:38 AM EST
The Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers 123-109 in the final held in Las Vegas and LeBron James won the MVP awardbeing the first team to win this new tournament.
“This is the premiere of the NBA In-Season Tournament. Records will be broken, but one thing that will never be broken is being the first to do something.. We are the first champions of the NBA In-Season Tournament and no one will be able to surpass that,” he said in his acceptance speech.
“And it’s great to do it with such a historic franchise,” He added before pointing out that it was a pleasure to share this victory with his teammates on the Los Angeles team.
The Lakers are, along with the Boston Celtics, the franchise with the most rings in history (17), but now Californians will be able to boast that they also have the first NBA Cup in their showcases.
This title also came with a succulent extra prize for the Lakers players, since each one will pocket $500,000 for winning the final.
LeBron, in his 21st season in the league and three weeks after turning 39, had 24 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists. But the key man of the night was Anthony Davis with a memorable performance of 41 points (16 of 24 shooting), 20 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks.
LeBron James adds one more gem to a resplendent career
With four rings on his record, four MVPs, four Finals MVPs and 19 All-Star selections, LeBron, who is also the top scorer in NBA history and the one with the most minutes played in the league, could have taken this new tournament with relative calm.
“My younger teammates, the rookies and the sophomores, some of them haven’t had experience in ‘playoff’ basketball. and their checks are not as provided as those of the older members of our team,” said LeBron, who also pointed out that some fans disconnect from the NBA during the months of December and January.
“So I felt like it was my obligation and my responsibility to keep everyone involved,” he added.
LeBron also had words of enormous praise for Davis, who he said had a dominant performance in the style of Shaquille O’Neal, present in the game’s city stadium.
“AD was inspired, with a game of more than 40 points and 20 rebounds, with multiple blocks… He was simply dominating in a big way,” he noted.
Keep reading:
– LeBron James and the Lakers beat the Pelicans and go to the final of the In-Season Tournament
– This is how the semifinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament will be played in Las Vegas
– The bombshell of the century: Shohei Ohtani chooses the Dodgers with a $700 million dollar contract