"Swing that motherf**ker to me, I just made 10 in a row"- LeBron James blasts Lakers' $51M forward for not passing the ball 

LeBron James yelled at Lakers' $51 million forward Rui Hachimura after he didn't pass the ball to him and opted to take a midrange shot instead in the fourth quarter of the Kings-Lakers game. James had scored 16 straight points to start the quarter, but Hachimura opted to take an ill-advised midrange pull-up right before a timeout.

James schooled Hachimura for not passing him the ball at that point after he made six consecutive shots. The Lakers broadcast picked up the audio. Here's what James said:

“Swing that motherf**ker to me, I just made 10 in a row you gon take a pull up contested two … Swing swing motherf**ker!!” (h/t@BronGotGame on X).

James' burst saw the Lakers storm back into the contest after they trailed the Kings for almost the entire third quarter. His 16-point burst in the fourth quarter saw LA go on a 21-0 run that flipped the game on its head. James finished with 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Lakers to a 131-127 win on the second night of a back-to-back.

LA is now 3-0 to start the season under new coach JJ Redick. The win also saw the Lakers break a five-game losing streak against the Kings.

---

LeBron James shows faith in Rui Hachimura and Co.

Despite dropping 16 points in the fourth quarter alone, LeBron James wasn't letting his faith in his teammate take a dip. After the game, James claimed the Lakers are constructed well enough for him to choose his spots and stretches to take over games and that he doesn't need to drop 16 points per quarter for the team to win.

"This team is not built for me to have 16-point quarters through all 4 quarters. That's not how it's constructed, nor should it be."

James hailed the efforts Rui Hachimura has put in, saying his frontcourt partner has been consistent to start the year. Meanwhile, he labeled Anthony Davis as an MVP-caliber player and said the likes of Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell can also heat up, which allows him to pick his spots.

LeBron James, who turns 40 on Dec. 30, has played this brand of basketball over the past two seasons since the Lakers traded Russell Westbrook at the 2023 trade deadline and fixed their roster.

Multiple contributors on the team have managed to take pressure off of the 22-season veteran. That's only improved this year under new coach JJ Redick, who seems to have maximized every player's potential.