“This is how Bron is gonna play with Bryce" - Ex-NBA champ makes wild claim after LeBron James-Luka Doncic pairing on Lakers

Two NBA legends sat down to discuss the Lakers' blockbuster trade for Luka Dončić. In a Thursday clip from "KG Certified," hosted by Kevin Garnett and joined weekly by his former teammate Paul Pierce, the two Hall of Famers broke down the seismic LeBron James-Luka Dončić pairing from all angles.

In the conversation, part of a larger episode set to air Friday, Garnett and Pierce couldn't conceal their shock towards a trade of such magnitude. The champions with the 2008 Boston Celtics deliberated on how the deal could shift the dynamic between ownership and players, improve the NBA's ratings and affect the longevity of one of the league's greatest players.

"I thought it was fake news. I couldn't believe, like — how you trade Luka in his prime like that?" Pierce said, still struggling to wrap his head around the move.

Garnett said: "The owners seem like they are actually reestablishing some dominance. The trade with Luka, that vibrated that everybody's expendable."

Garnett raised the possibility that Dončić was traded as part of a larger effort by NBA ownership groups to reassert their control over player movement. In the past several years, players have been increasingly more empowered to test their chances on the trade market and exercise autonomy over decisions they deem best for themselves. Despite that, KG still feels like the Lakers got gift-wrapped the better asset in the long term.

"Guess what the Lakers just got? A player — not only a face of the league, but a player for the next 15 years. That they would have never been able to get," Garnett said.

"This brand of international revenue that's about to come to the Lakers that you thought already was tremendous, it's about to go to the next level," Pierce added.

Garnett and Pierce talked about the financial opportunities that the trade presents to the league. Dončić has an enormous international following which now will get amplified by one of basketball's largest markets in Los Angeles. Additionally, pairing up one of the NBA's biggest and brightest young stars along with LeBron James is certain to bridge multiple generations of fans.

"This kid is about to be the new (Shohei) Ohtani," said Garnett.

Garnett could hardly contain his excitement when thinking about how Dončić, a Slovenian, could become the face of the league and LA for years to come. His reference is to the Japanese baseball player, Shohei Ohtani, who signed a jaw-dropping, 10-year, $700,000,000 contract with the LA Dodgers before the 2024 season.

Garnett and Pierce both had positive thoughts when imagining Luka Dončić teamed up with LeBron James. However, they both know it takes more than what looks good on paper to make a star pairing work.

"If LeBron will allow it. LeBron got to take a step back," Pierce said.

Garnett followed: "This the first time, big homie. ... Yeah, you gonna have to scoot over, big homie. I got it. This what you been wanting, though."

The two recognize this as the first time LeBron James is going to be playing with a player of Dončić's caliber and how that could impact the dynamic between them. Both suggested that James will have to cede responsibilities and let the younger Dončić take the reigns in order to establish that the Lakers are his team going forward.

"He just bought Bron two more years," Garnett said.

"He might've added more than that", Pierce replied.

Garnett said: "This is how Bron is gonna play with Bryce."

Garnett jokingly implied that the trade will ease the burden off LeBron James and extend his career long enough to play with his second son, Bryce, a 17-year-old guard at Sierra Canyon School. Bryce isn't eligible to be drafted until at least 2026, when LeBron will be going on 42.

LeBron James shows love to Kendrick Lamar following Drake's diss

LeBron James is well known for his love of rap music and the personal relationships he shares with some of the industry's biggest artists. One of the rappers James has consistently given praise to over the years is LA native Kendrick Lamar.

On Wednesday, James reposted an Instagram post from the NFL that showcased Lamar's segment from Dr. Dre's halftime performance at Super Bowl LVI in 2022.

The caption read "ready to see @KendrickLamar run it back." James reposted the video on his story and added a caption of his own. “HE GONE KILL THAT [S–T]!!!!” James wrote, showing his enthusiastic support for Lamar's upcoming performance in Sunday's Super Bowl.

LeBron James' support for Lamar came mere hours after Drake changed some popular lyrics of his at a show in Australia. While performing at a concert Wednesday night, the rapper changed the line on his track "Nonstop" from his album, Scorpion, from "How I go from 6 to 23 like I’m LeBron?” to “How I go from 6 to 23 but not LeBron, man” instead.

The lyric change is indicative of Drake's feelings towards a number of people he feels turned on him during his prolonged rap feud with Lamar last year. Following the climax of the two rappers' beef, LeBron James attended Lamar's Juneteenth Pop Out concert and sang along to tracks like "Euphoria" and "Not Like Us," which famously rip in to Drake's character.

Drake has addressed those he feels switched sides during the beef and has laid out his disappointment clearly. This comes off the back of Lamar winning several awards at the 2025 Grammys, including both song and record of the year for "Not Like Us."