Following the Milwaukee Bucks’ matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers out in California, Giannis Antetokounmpo reportedly wore a LeBron James jersey in the locker room.
Antetokounmpo’s brother also sported a Lakers jersey, representing Bronny James. According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, the Bronny jersey was gifted to Giannis after the last time the Bucks and the Lakers played.
Via @RamonaShelburn e: Giannis Antetokoumpo walked into the Bucks locker room tonight wearing a LeBron James jersey. His brother Thanasis had a Bronny James jersey. Giannis already had the Bronny jersey from a previous game they played. Apparently he just asked for them;)
Jersey swaps are common in the NBA, but when it’s some of the league’s most prominent stars, it tends to mean more to the fans. Especially when there are two major storylines hovering over stars on each side.
For the Lakers star LeBron James, it’s unclear what the future holds for him at this point. He doesn’t have much more to accomplish on a personal level and seems to only desire another championship victory.
If LeBron gets it with the Lakers for a second time this season, then it might be the perfect way to ride off into the sunset. If not, then the NBA world would impatiently wait for the final decision on how he’ll approach the rest of his career.
As for Giannis, he was the game’s biggest trade block candidate for a moment. As the Bucks struggled in his absence, Giannis was rumored to have teams calling for a potential trade to pull him out of Milwaukee for the first time in his career.
Since the Lakers are always hunting for a star, they had a few mock trades envisioning a potential Giannis-Luka pairing. Ultimately, Giannis ended up shooting down every trade narrative, claiming that he’s remaining with the Bucks.
Was Friday’s swap just like every other jersey swap in the game, or did it mean more? The Antetokounmpo’s seem to be rolling with the former narrative.
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