LeBron James once threw Ayton an Alley-Oop in the 8th grade

ByNBAUSA



DeAndre Ayton and LeBron James shared the court as teammates for the first time on Tuesday night, but according to Ayton, their relationship actually goes back a lot further than anyone realized.

After that Los Angeles Lakers‘ A 140-126 win over the Utah Jazz, Ayton revealed fascinating story during his postgame comments. The big man told reporters that having LeBron throw him an alley-oop was not a new experience.

“I told him a fun fact,” Ayton said with a smile. “He threw me an alley and I said, ‘That’s my second alley from you. The first one was when I was in eighth grade at your camp.’

It’s the kind of surreal full-circle NBA moment that only LeBron’s two-decade career can produce, the superstar entering his 23rd season lobbing a player who once attended his youth camp as a high schooler.

James made his long-awaited season debut after missing training camp and the Lakers’ first 14 games. The 40-year-old future Hall of Famer looked sharp in his return, scoring 11 points and 12 assists in 30 minutes while orchestrating the Lakers’ offense to perfection in the second half.

Luka Dončić is playing his second season in Los Angeles. handled the scoring with 37 points and 10 assists, including 17 points in a thrilling third-quarter run that helped the Lakers pull away from Utah for good.

Ayton added efficient interior scoring and physicality on both ends as the Lakers improved their chemistry in what already looks to be one of the league’s most intriguing new duos. But on a night full of milestones, including LeBron becoming the first player in NBA history to appear in 23 seasons, the alley anecdote quickly became a viral highlight.

From lobbing in eighth grade… to doing it in an NBA game nearly a decade later.

For LeBron James, longevity isn’t just a statistic. It’s about stories like this and players he influenced long before they became his teammates.





2025-11-19 14:26:00

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