LeBron James caught a ricochet shot from a colleague after the NBA reimagined its annual individual awards.
The league on Tuesday officially revealed its new names and hardware redesigns for multiple coveted honors, including MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player. These tweaked titles now honor some of the best players to ever set foot on a basketball court: Michael Jordan (MVP), Hakeem Olajuwon (DPOY), Wilt Chamberlain (Rookie of the Year), John Havlicek (Sixth Man of the Year) and George Mikan (MIP).
After the news broke, FanDuelTV’s Eddie Gonzalez took to Twitter and asked what award will be named after James in 2035. Evan Turner, a 10-year NBA veteran who also coached with the Boston Celtics after retiring, responded with a dig at the Los Angeles Lakers star.
“If we ever have a bubble championship again then that specific trophy should be named after him,” Turner tweeted.
Turner, of course, is referring to the fourth NBA championship of James’ career, which was won in the Orlando bubble after the NBA was forced to adjust the 2019-20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been tough sledding for the Purple and Gold since, as they were bounced in the first round of the 2021 playoffs and finished 16 games under .500 last season.
And it could be more of the same this time around for the Lakers, who dropped to 11-16 with Tuesday night’s home loss to the Celtics.
