LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers is 39 years old. At this age and stage of his career, some of the players he has faced off against have retired and gone on to become coaches. Ime Udoka of the Houston Rockets is one such example. Throughout their individual careers, James and Udoka faced off multiple times, with the former coming out on top.
It appears that Udoka and James never forgot their days of rivalry on the court, as Udoka approached James without warning following the Lakers forward Cam Reddish’s foul call during this past weekend’s game between the Rockets and Lakers. Following their verbal exchange, Udoka was removed from the game.
In their eight head-to-head meetings while Udoka was a player for the Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, and Sacramento Kings, James emerged victorious six times. James is currently defeating Udoka in his role as Rockets head coach.
These two men have a long history of drama, and even years later, it’s evident that their love is still strong. This kind of verbal altercation between a coach and player during a game is uncommon, but this particular instance is special because the player was once the coach’s competitor.
