When LeBron James made his NBA regular-season debut at Sacramento’s Arco Arena in October 2003, Jabari Smith Sr. was on the roster of the Kings.
Twenty years later, Jabari Smith Jr. is a 19-year-old rising star for the Houston Rockets, and he faced off against the all-time great on Monday night in Los Angeles.
It was a memorable moment for Houston’s top rookie from its 2022 draft class, and it may have been even more significant to his father, who was on hand at Crypto.com Arena for the occasion.
In an on-court exchange (video), the younger Smith had some fun with the situation at the 38-year-old’s expense.
Smith: “You played against my dad your first NBA game ever. You feel old, don’t you?”
James: “Why’d you do that to me?”
The NBA legend and future Hall of Famer earned the last laugh by scoring a season-high 48 points — enough to hold off a late rally by Smith and the rebuilding Rockets to secure the win. Smith defended James on numerous occasions, but there was no stopping arguably the greatest player in basketball history on this night.
Outside of offense, perhaps the biggest adjustment made by the Lakers was having James guard Alperen Sengun late in the game. Just 20 years old, the second-year Rockets center had a career game with 33 points and 15 rebounds on 14-of-17 shooting (82.4%), and the fact Los Angeles was compelled to switch James’ defensive assignment to Sengun felt like a ringing endorsement of his talent.
While disappointed to lose, both Smith and Sengun made it clear postgame that it was an experience they wouldn’t soon forget. Here’s a look at their immediate reactions.