Did LeBron James celebrate with Draymond Green and Paul Rivera after reaching 39K points? Viral rumors debunked

LeBron James received a double screen from D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Davis to bury a long three in the first quarter against the Utah Jazz. The triple gave the LA Lakers an 11-7 lead with still 7:10 left in the said period. James’ basket made him the first player in NBA history to score 39K points. It is a staggering achievement that most people probably thought he’d never accomplish as he is not considered by many to be a dominant scorer.

After the Lakers’ 131-99 demolition of the Utah Jazz, NBACentel, a troll site on Twitter/X, promptly came out with a post. The video clip showed James celebrating with Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and close friend Paul Rivera.

The clip was captioned with:

“LeBron: They didn’t believe in us.”

“Draymond: I always believed in you my King.”

The celebration was real but it was not after LeBron James reached 39K career points. Draymond Green has gotten close with the four-time MVP over the years and has been unabashedly calling him “King.” The two, together with their respective families or close circle of friends, have been spotted hanging out on many occasions.

In January this year, he became only the second player in NBA history to reach 38K points. The following month, he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the league’s career points leader. Jabbar sat on that throne since 1984 before “The Kid from Akron” replaced him in 2023.

During the lead-up to James’ iconic moment, Draymond Green reportedly told the Golden State Warriors front office that he planned to attend that game. The former Defensive Player of the Year winner, however, wasn’t around when LeBron James eventually captured the record.

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LeBron James and Draymond Green will face each other at least four times this season

As the LA Lakers and the Golden State Warriors are both in the Western Conference, they are scheduled to meet four times in a season. Last season, they faced each other 10 times, including the playoffs. That might end up to be the case yet again this season.

LeBron James and Draymond Green, if both are healthy, are set to take on each other on Jan. 27 at the Chase Center in San Francisco. This will be the first meeting between the two after the Lakers booted out the Warriors in the playoffs.

Regardless of how hard they go against each other on the court, James and Green have both claimed that it would never have an affect on their friendship. With how close they’ve become, troll sites on Twitter/X are expected to occasionally take a dig at both of them.