How LeBron James Explained Spat With Former Celtic Ime Udoka

Ime Udoka was forced to hit the locker room early Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Udoka engaged in a war of words with LeBron James a little less than four minutes into the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ eventual 107-97 win over the Rockets. Referees monitored the exchange during a stoppage of play and ultimately issued a technical foul to both Udoka and James. It was the second tech of the game for Houston’s head coach, which signaled an ejection.

James was asked after the game to reveal what was said in the spat, but Los Angeles’ star forward wasn’t willing to divulge the details.

“Thanksgiving — how much we enjoyed Thanksgiving,” James told reporters, per a video shared by ESPn’s Dave McMenamin.

Udoka was similarly tight-lipped about the situation. The former Boston Celtics head coach simply told reporters he spoke with James and officials “didn’t like what they heard,” per Bleacher Report. Udoka did take a dig of sorts at the Lakers, though, noting how the Rockets got “punked by a team that’s not known for physicality or punking people.”

The Lakers and the Rockets aren’t scheduled to play again until Jan. 29. A little more than two weeks before that matchup, Udoka will return to TD Garden for the first time since he was dismissed by the Celtics.