"Got his highlight he doesn't give af" - Laker fans lament LeBron James’ jubilance as LA goes down vs short-handed Mavs

Lakers superstar LeBron James drew the ire of several fans after LA lost to an injury-plagued Dallas Mavericks squad 118-97 on Tuesday.

In a post by BricksCenter on X, James was seen happily greeting former NBA guard JR Smith, who watched the game courtside.

James and Smith won two championships together — with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and with the Lakers in 2020. However, their exuberant reunion did not sit well with Lakers fans, particularly following the disappointing defeat against a Mavs team without Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic.

"He got his highlight he doesn’t give af," a fan wrote.

The highlight this fan is referring to an emphatic dunk by the 40-year-old James early in the game. Here are the other reactions from Lakers fans on X.

"I’ll return as a Laker fan when he retires. Until then, I’m gone," another fan said.

"Bron don’t care about winning," another X user wrote.

"The lakers are trash they probably would have won if bron was not out there," a fan commented.

A fan also referenced longtime Lakers legend and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant.

"Kobe would never," a fan pointed out.

James' son and Lakers rookie Bronny James also caught some heat from fans. Bronny played a little over a minute in the blowout loss and did not record any stats.

"Disappointing Lakers loss to a Mavs team down their 2 best players, but Bronny had a great minute or two out there really show casing his stuff. He didn’t record any stats, but the intangibles were off the charts. The future is bright," a fan posted.

Entering Tuesday's game, Dallas was on a five-game losing streak. The Mavericks scored 118 points despite missing the services of their superstar guards, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the top two scorers on the team. Dallas was also without role players Daniel Gafford and Dante Exum.

LeBron James' insane dunk

Despite the blowout loss to the Mavericks, LeBron James seemed to turn back the clock on Tuesday, showing traces of his younger self.

LA Lakers superstar LeBron James' emphatic slam (Image Source: Imagn)

Early in the opening period, a missed corner three by Rui Hachimura led to a scramble. Max Christie was able to recover the ball and quickly passed it to a running James, whom 7-foot-1 Dereck Lively met at the rim.

LeBron James switched hands mid-air for a posterizing slam that drew cheers from the crowd at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

The Lakers bench erupted after James' emphatic slam. It also caught praise from the broadcast team, even declaring the play a candidate for "dunk of the year."

Despite the loss, the four-time NBA MVP finished the game with a near triple-double: 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. The Lakers (20-16) lost their second straight game and are 6-4 in their last 10 games. They have lost three of their last five.

LA has not won a season series against Dallas since 2019-20. The teams meet again on Feb. 25 at Crypto.com Arena in LA.