Lakers' LeBron James Praises Luka After 70-Foot Pass, '1 of the Best Quarterbacks'

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James paid a huge compliment to teammate Luka Dončić after they connected on a highlight-reel play during Friday's 128-121 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

During the first quarter, Dončić hit James with a perfectly placed outlet pass from about 70 feet out, and James converted with a layup. When asked about the play afterward, James called Dončić "one of the best quarterbacks" and himself "a pretty good receiver."

The game was LeBron's first since a 128-106 loss to the Detroit Pistons on his 41st birthday on Dec. 30, and his first of the New Year.

In an Instagram post following the Lakers' victory over Memphis, LeBron wrote, "Not a bad start to 2026 for the 41 year old."

With 31 points, James was second on the Lakers in scoring on Friday behind only Luka's 34. LeBron shot 12-of-18 from the field and also registered nine rebounds and six assists.

Grizzlies-Lakers Full Highlights

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In addition to leading the Lakers in scoring, Dončić led the team in assists with eight, including the 70-foot dime to James.

James missed the Lakers' first 14 games of the season with sciatica, putting Dončić in position to be the clear go-to guy while he was out. Dončić was up to the challenge, as he is putting up MVP-caliber numbers with a league-leading 33.6 points per game to go along with 8.7 assists and 8.1 rebounds.

Although James has had his ups and downs since returning, his numbers are starting to look more LeBron-like, as he is averaging 22.8 points, 7.1 assists and 5.6 rebounds in 16 games this season.

With Friday's win, the Lakers are fifth in the Western Conference with a 21-11 record, and they will look to keep rolling Sunday when they host the Grizzlies once again.