The first game of the 2023-24 season for the Los Angeles Lakers went the same way that the final games of the playoffs last season went. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray held off a late Lakers push led by LeBron James and the Denver Nuggets came away with a victory.
There has been a bit of a rivalry brewing over the past few months between the Lakers and Nuggets following Denver’s Western Conference Finals sweep and some comments being made by head coach Michael Malone. The Lakers said they were motivated by the comments and were looking forward to Tuesday’s contest, and there was a playoff intensity, but ultimately it was the Nuggets on top.
But despite that everything that happens on the court and the rivalry that exists, the players themselves remain respectful off the court. And that showed its face after the game as James greeted and showed love to Murray and the family of the Nuggets star, via The Dunk Central:
LeBron made sure to show love to Jamal Murray’s family after the game ✊ pic.twitter.com/olwLOotFSG
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 26, 2023
It is this side of the game that does not often get seen by fans. On the court, these players can be the most fierce of rivals, talk trash back and forth and the game is a physical one. But once that final horn rings, that gets turned off for the most part.
Of course there are exceptions and if there is some real history and players have possibly crossed the line then there might not be such pleasant greetings. But in the case of LeBron and Murray, it’s simply a matter of two teams fighting to reach the same goal and right now the Nuggets are above the Lakers in that pecking order.
It takes a lot of work to get to the level that these players are at and only a select few reach this level of NBA stardom and win championships. Even with the Lakers and Nuggets battling for that ultimate goal, LeBron still has the respect and time to show love to Murray’s family which is a beautiful thing to witness.
Lakers’ LeBron James not surprised or upset by minutes limit
One of the big stories coming out of that contest was the fact that James played just 29 minutes for L.A. Head coach Darvin Ham said the plan is the Lakers star to be on a minutes limit throughout the season and LeBron is on board with that plan.
James said after the game that it’s difficult to be off the court this much, but he will follow the plan that’s in place. He added that he spoke with the Lakers staff before the game and knew the plan so he was not surprised or upset.
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