The Denver Nuggets knocked the Los Angeles Lakers out of the playoffs for the second straight year with a 108-106 win in Game 5. Moments after the buzzer sounded, LeBron James walked off the court, as he seemingly had no interest in shaking hands with the triumphant Nuggets.
Shaking hands after a series is a tradition in the NBA and it's a shame that LeBron didn't bother doing it here. The likes of Anthony Davis did stick around and showed the Nuggets the respect they deserved for getting the better of the Lakers.
You get that James would have been frustrated by yet another close loss, but there's no excusing something like this. The Nuggets won the series fair and square, and even a fierce competitor like him should have at least shaken hands. Kevin Durant showed on Monday that you can get swept by a team but still have it in you to show respect, as he did when he embraced Anthony Edwards.
This is also not the first time we have seen James act in this manner in recent years. LeBron also didn't shake hands with the Phoenix Suns after they eliminated him in the first round back in 2021.
Interestingly, the only time LeBron has shaken hands after losing a series in the last four years, was last year. Perhaps a second straight elimination at the hands of the Nuggets was just a bit too much for the 39-year-old. We have, however, seen great players in the past shake hands with an opponent that they just weren't able to beat, with Michael Jordan and the Detroit Pistons perhaps being a great example of that.
I am not the biggest fan of always comparing James and Jordan, but I think it is fair to do so in this case. The Bulls had lost in the playoffs to the Pistons in 1988, 1989, and 1990, but Jordan didn't just walk off after those last two series defeats. He is one of the fiercest competitors the NBA has ever seen, but he still embraced the Pistons.
As for this game itself, LeBron desperately tried to ensure the Lakers weren't sent home. The 20-time All-Star recorded 30 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists, and 4 steals on the night, and was LA's best player.
James scored nine points in the fourth quarter as well, including a basket that gave the Lakers a 104-103 lead with under two minutes remaining. The four-time MVP also hit two late free throws to tie the game at 106, but Jamal Murray then drilled his second game-winner of this series to eliminate the Lakers.
LeBron ended up with pretty good averages of 27.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 2.4 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game in this series. He also shot 56.6% from the field, the highest among all his postseason runs, but it still wasn't enough to get the better of the Nuggets.
LeBron James Did Not Want To Speak About His Future With The Lakers
After getting eliminated by the Nuggets last year, LeBron had hinted that he might end up retiring. There was no such indication given this time around, but James did refuse to speak about his future with the Lakers when asked if this was his last game for the franchise.
LeBron has a player option worth $51.4 million for the 2024-25 season and can opt-out to become a free agent. He is expected to do just that and while I am sure there would be plenty of teams interested in his services, I think he will re-sign and stay with the Lakers.
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