The Nuggets’ Michael Malone and the Lakers’ LeBron James have a feud. What’s it about?
The head coach of the newly crowned NBA champions appears to be in the middle of a spat with the player who for many is the greatest ever to play the game.
Following a cheeky dig after overseeing his team’s championship run, the Nuggets’ tactician seems to have incurred the wrath of the Lakers icon. Could that be the beginning of a feud that spills over into the next NBA season?
The Formation of a Fight: Michael Malone vs LeBron James
You might recall that the Denver Nuggets swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals on their way to the Finals where they eventually defeated the Miami Heat to win their first-ever NBA Championship. Now, as you can imagine, losing 4-0 to the Nuggets had a profound effect on the Lakers. So much so in fact that James himself admitted that he was considering retirement. As you can also imagine, the idea that the player who represents one half of the ‘greatest ever’ conversation - we see you MJ fans - could float the idea of his own curtain call, was always going to be a show stealer regardless of what else was happening at the time. That is precisely where the spat began. Clearly not appreciative of anyone stealing their sunshine, the Nuggets clearly took that to heart and that’s something Malone himself demonstrated during a recent post-championship interview.
“Speaking of the Lakers, I just wanted you guys to know - this is breaking news - I’m thinking about retiring. So don’t tell anybody.” Incidentally, Malone was actually an assistant coach with the Cavs during James’ time on the team. Of course, the Nuggets coach did go on to say that he was joking, but it’s clear that the fuse had already been lit and it was James who had no problems going incendiary on Instagram just a few days later.
What did LeBron James say in response to Michael Malone?
Clearly bothered by Malone’s sly jab, James left no doubt as to where he stood on the team and its coach. Not only that, but he also took the opportunity to remind the Nuggets’ man in charge of exactly who he is. See for yourself:
Of course, if we attempt to read between the lines here, it’s clear that James understands the basis of Malone’s ‘joke,’ but it’s also evident that he doesn’t like it. Probably even less so due to the fact that it comes from the coach of the team that eliminated his Lakers without dropping a game. The way in which he ends his rebuttal seems to be James turning to the only thing he can use in his defense, his record-breaking career in the league, however, it does look much more like a reaction rather than a response. Whatever the case, ticket prices for the Nuggets vs Lakers game next season just went up significantly.