10 March 2024 , 07:00
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NBA superstar LeBron James showed his support for Liverpool by wearing their shirt to a Los Angeles Lakers game.
James was unable to play on Friday due to an ankle injury that has been troubling him throughout the season. Despite this, he still attended the game in Los Angeles against the Milwaukee Bucks and watched from the sidelines.
He wore a jersey from his new fashion collection with Liverpool, the club in which he has a minority stake. The collection, called "LeBron James @kingjames X Liverpool FC @liverpoolfc Chapter 2", was launched on Wednesday.
James, along with Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk and other team members, modelled the new clothes on the club's Instagram page. Last year, James became a partner of Fenway Sports Group, the owners of Liverpool.
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James even sent a video message to Van Dijk to congratulate him on becoming the team's new captain last summer. "VVD, my guy, I hope you're well," he said. "I just want to say a huge congratulations on taking the armband this season. I know you will lead this club on amazing things. Strive for greatness. You'll Never Walk Alone."
Van Dijk responded: "The King, isn't it? The King has spoken. Nice to have this on, let's rock and roll."
James watched a thrilling game on Friday, as Lakers star D'Angelo Russell scored the winning shot with just six seconds left to secure a 123-122 victory. The win was sealed when Spencer Dinwiddie blocked Damian Lillard's step-back jumper just before the buzzer.
Lakers defeated the Bucks on Friday night (Getty Images)Russell, 28, scored an impressive 44 points, with 21 of those in the last quarter, helping his team towards a crucial win in the playoff race. "On the floor, I've always felt like I was capable of doing things, [and] getting hot makes it a little more exciting," Russell said.
"Off the floor, obviously you all know what I've been through. Public humiliation has done nothing but mold me into the killer that you all see today.
"I never lack confidence. I never fear confrontation. I want all the smoke... I just feel confident in what I bring to the basketball game, so whatever room I walk in, I'm confident."
Austin Reaves, who scored 18 points for the Lakers, said about his teammate: "D-Lo just stepped up and won us the game, and obviously with Spence with the defence on that last possession. Just seeing D-Lo take over the game, I constantly kept telling him in timeouts, 'Take us home.'"
The Lakers have had nine games this season without James on the team and after Friday's victory, they now have five wins and four losses without the 20-time All-Star. They are ninth in the Western Conference, just 0.5 games ahead of the Golden State Warriors.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.
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