LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers in action against the Houston Rockets during a game at Toyota Center on January 10, 2021 in Houston, Texas. Carmen Mandato/Getty Images/AFP
MANILA, Philippines — It’s hard to bet against LeBron James.
His teammate Dennis Schroder just lost one on Wednesday during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 117-100 win over the Houston Rockets.
Schroder, who was on the bench, challenged James as the four-time NBA champion was about to take a left corner triple.
Ever the showman, James turned away while the ball was still in the air and looked at his teammates before the shot fell in.
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 13, 2021
"First time I’ve seen LeBron do that.”
(📺: @SpectrumSN) pic.twitter.com/Tg46L2TI5X
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 13, 2021
“He said, ‘bet you won’t make it.’ And in order to make the bet official, you either gotta have a handshake or look him in the eye. I turned around and looked at him in the eye and said, ‘bet it,’” James told Lakers’ sideline reporter Mike Trudell.
Here’s the full and very necessary @KingJames explanation of his no-look 3 after a spur-of-the-second bet with “Dennis the Menace” 😂 pic.twitter.com/MTnHbvo3KF
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) January 13, 2021
“I told him to bet a Benjamin on it. So he took a dribble, shot it and turned around and said, ‘bet’ then it went in. Just legendary. He’s such an amazing player, you know, having fun out there, it’s nice to be a part of it,” said Schroder.
"I told him to bet a Benjamin on it…he turned around and said 'bet'". 😂 Dennis Schröder talks about @KingJames' corner three, the bench's reaction, and more with @LakersReporter. pic.twitter.com/SjnNpIHIzC
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) January 13, 2021
The 36-year-old James finished with 26 points, eight rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes as the Lakers improved its NBA-best record to 9-3.
“I love my teammates. We got a great group of guys and we wanna continue to build on what we’re trying to do on the road and tonight was another example of that.”