LeBron Hypes 'F--king Generational Player' Luka Doncic After His 1st Game-Winner for Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James called teammate Luka Dončić a "f--king generational player" following their 127-125 overtime win over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.
Dončić hit the go-ahead bucket with a stepback jumper from the baseline with 0.5 seconds on the clock.
"Just a big-time shot by a f---ing generational player," James told reporters. "He's just a big-time player, man. ... We wanted the last shot. We wanted to put the ball in our guy's hands."
The four-time MVP added that the shot is "going to be just the first of many game-winners like that for him in a Lakers uniform."
Dončić finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists for his eighth triple-double of the season.
When ESPN's Tim Bontemps conducted his most recent MVP straw poll in February, Dončić sat fifth. He received two second-place votes and 17 for third, but that accounted for a minority of his overall share.
The six-time All-Star might've since moved up in the MVP race.
The Lakers have won five games in a row and sit third in the Western Conference at 42-25.
"Is 'coalesce' a word? Is that the right word? For coming together? I think it feels like we're coalescing right now in a really nice way," Lakers coach JJ Redick said. "Still got a long way to go, still got a long way to go, but certainly optimistic with how we handled this stretch of games. … It's big time."
During Los Angeles' winning streak, Dončić has averaged 38.2 points on 48.1 percent shooting along with 9.8 rebounds and 8.4 assists.
Delivering big moments in the regular season is one reason why the Lakers acquired the dynamic guard. Should he carry his current form into the playoffs, he'll help to achieve an even bigger goal and get L.A past the first round after successive early exits.
