LeBron James Jokes Metta Sandiford-Artest Should 'Stay Ready' for Lakers Contract

Tyler Conway @@jtylerconwayFeatured Columnist IVDecember 29, 2021

LeBron James (6), de los Lakers de Los Ángeles dispara ante la mirada de David Nwaba, centro, durante la primera mitad del juego de la NBA del martes 28 de diciembre de 2021, en Houston. (AP Foto/Eric Christian Smith)

AP Foto/Eric Christian Smith

With the Los Angeles Lakers roster ravaged with players in health and safety protocols and injured, LeBron James jokingly recruited a blast from the past to suit up.

James appeared on the Spectrum SportsNet postgame show after Tuesday's win over the Houston Rockets and said Metta Sandiford-Artest needs to "stay ready."

"Metta, stay ready cause we may need your ass, man," James said.

Sandiford-Artest, 42, last played with the Lakers during the 2016-17 season. While he didn't have a lot left in the tank a half-decade ago, NBA teams have gotten desperate as the Omicron variant rips through the league.

The Boston Celtics recently signed 40-year-old Joe Johnson to a hardship contract, so Sandiford-Artest would be far from the only old-timer making his way back into the league.

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