The Los Angeles Lakers dropped their lone trip to New York this season, falling 112–100 to the New York Knicks, but the result felt secondary to the moment.
James finished with 22 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, shooting 9-15 from the field, though another sluggish 3rd quarter proved costly.
After the game, James spoke candidly about what it means to step onto the floor at Madison Square Garden, especially with uncertainty surrounding how many chances he has left to do so.
“Everything. I mean it’s the mecca of basketball here in New York City,” James said speaking with Spectrum SportsNet. “Obviously it’s the Big Apple, being here at MSG, playing here. So many guys have walked this court either from basketball to entertainment, to actors and musicians, everything. It’s been a wide range of importance of people to be able to grace this floor and I hope I have a little small snippet of somebody that came through here and was able to make a little small dent from a visitor’s perspective. So it’s cool, it’s always electric in here. They find a way to make sure I’m here on weekends, pretty much, but it’s a pretty cool treat.”
James also made sure to acknowledge the New York crowd, offering praise for a fan base long regarded as one of the most knowledgeable in sports.
“Pretty cool man. I’ve always loved these fans here, love New York. Always respect,” James continued. “They’ve got a great knowledge of the game of basketball and sports in general. They know what sports is all about. They know when they see something pretty cool so I just give my respect back.”
Madison Square Garden’s reputation as “The World’s Most Famous Arena” has been built on moments like these, and James has authored plenty of them over the years.
Whether this was his final appearance on that floor remains to be seen, but his words only added fuel to speculation.
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