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LeBron James isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, but first choice for beginner Zion Williamson is as follows.
James’ Los Angeles Lakers defeated Williamson’s New Orleans Pelicans 122-114 Sunday night at the Smoothie King Center. The 19-year-old led the scorers with a career high of 35 points, but James was just behind him with 34 points, 13 rebounds and two interceptions.
Subsequently, the triple NBA champion paid tribute to Williamson, saying that the NBA “is in good hands” and that he is happy to share the field with the crop of young NBA stars:
James also congratulated Williamson after tThe Lakers beat the Pelicans 118-109 on February 25 behind their 40-point record:
But make no mistake, James is still the king:
James and Williamson kissed on the pitch after the final buzzer sounded, but the 16-star chose to keep secret what was said between them:
Even though Williamson lost his first two games to James, the Duke product continues to make its way into league records next to the big ones:
ESPN Statistics and Information @ESPNStatsInfo
Zion Williamson recorded his 6th game with more than 20 points in the restricted area. It was the second highest number of recruits since the NBA began locating shooting in 1996/97. The only recruit with more is Blake Griffin (7). https://t.co/yISqmNjPSl
Williamson entered Sunday with an average of 23.4 points and 6.8 rebounds on 14 starts since his debut on January 22, delayed by knee arthroscopy on October 21.
The Lakers and Pels are not expected to replay this season. The only chance fans can see James and Williamson on the same floor before next season is that New Orleans 26-34 enters the eighth seeded Western Conference.
This would set up a first round clash with the Western Conference leader, 46-13 L.A.