Sacramento finally won against the Los Angeles on Monday, securing a 124-112 win over the Lakers. The Kings didn't let the moment pass quietly either.
Sacramento Kings take jab at LeBron James
Shortly following the final buzzer, the team's social media handle took a jab at LeBron James.
“Bad day to be a jersey patch debut 🙂↔️,” the Kings handle wrote.
The post aimed towards James donning a special patch for the first time, created to honor his 23rd NBA season. The design consisted of a silhouette of his trademark chalk toss and three stripes representing the teams he has represented in his career so far. It debuted in the same building where he kicked off his NBA journey back in 2023.
Sacramento Kings' controlled performance
However, the Sacramento Kings secured the win. Coming off a win against Houston, the King had been trending upward and controlled the game right from the first quarter. DeMar DeRozan led the way with 32 points as Sacramento won every period, while Russell Westbrook secured 22 points against his former team.
Luka Doncic's lone heroics vs Sacramento Kings
While Luka Doncic pulled of another excellent performance, gathering 47 points for the Lakers, it never changed the flow of the game. The win snapped Sacramento's long slump and gave them their consecutive wins since November. It also gave them their 10th win of the season.
In the standings, the Lakers moved to 23-14 and stayed fifth in West. Sacramento, now 10-30, stayed near the bottom but reduced the gap with the Dallas Mavericks in 13th to a single game.
LeBron James' commemorative jersey patch all set for inclusion
LeBron James revealed his commemorative jersey patch in Monday's clash against the Sacramento Kings. The Lakers star is expected to wear the patch for the leftover season, with it being removed after each game and preserved for inclusion in a series of ultra-rare trading cards.
Topps announced this decision on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Monday.
"BREAKING: LeBron James will wear a special-edition 23rd season jersey patch beginning tonight in Sacramento," Topps wrote. "The city where he began his legendary career in 2003. The patches will be removed from his jersey after each game, and some will be placed into ultra-rare trading cards."
James' patch is one of three others that debuted this season, with the MVP (Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander), DPOY (Evan Mobley), and the ROTY (Stephon Castle) winners receiving a patch each on their jerseys.