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Proud Magic Johnson Beams With Joy After LeBron James’ Late Mastery Over Clippers

Published 02/29/2024, 6:00 AM EST

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With LeBron James inching closer to a new record, everyone is watching. Even a Showtime Lakers legend himself. Magic Johnson was obviously awed by King James on the court today. As he’s prone to do, he was on X with a message of congratulations. While he was at it, he very outrightly declared that James single-handedly carried the team to a memorable win over their cross-city rivals.

LeBron James put the Lakers on his back and carried them home to a victory, scoring 34 points – and outscoring the entire Clippers team in the 4th quarter 19-16!!” Magic wrote on X.

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The Lakers beat the Clippers 116-112 today in a stunning comeback win. Besides leading the game with 34 points, James had 8 assists and 6 rebounds in 37 minutes. He’s now just 40 points shy of making 40,000 career points.

As Magic said, the Lakers got a spurt of confidence in the last quarter on LeBron’s shoulders. James led them to a 21-point fourth-quarter turnaround, sealing the win in their favor. James alone made 19 of the 34 points in the fourth quarter, including 5 three-pointers and four assists. Before he turned the tables late, the Clippers were leading 96-77 heading into the final quarter.

READ MORE: “Used To Bully Him…Kept Beating This Kid”: Shaquille O’Neal’s Warning Once Turned Into Life-Saving Saga

While some analysts argued that Kawhi Leonard guarded him too lazily, James was far from complacent. “The game is not ever over until it’s double zeroes,” as LeBron put it after the biggest fourth-quarter comeback of his career. It was a pinch of nostalgia for LeBron fans as they saw their favorite player completely takeover the game like he regularly used to in his prime. But how much longer can we expect to see him continue doing this? Magic seems to have an answer.

Magic Johnson predicts LeBron James is here to stay

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During the All-Star Weekend, James dodged questions about a possible retirement. But he did say he knows he’s not got many games left. He’s poised to play his longest season this year and could end his 21st season with more than 40,000 career points. All the while with the Lakers.

USA Today via Reuters

It gave Magic Johnson the confidence to say that LeBron and the Lakers won’t part ways any time soon. “LeBron loves Los Angeles, he loves being a Laker (and) what it stands for. He understands what it means. This town loves them,” Johnson said a week before LeBron’s new record.

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It is accurate that LeBron’s presence in Los Angeles and the Lakers community is important. Still, speculation continues if he’s going to keep playing. The Lakers play against Washington next. And he might make a 40k record then. Keep your eyes peeled for the Magic Johnson tweet then.

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Written by:

Caroline John

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Caroline John is a senior NBA writer at EssentiallySports. She holds a Masters degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from a reputed university. With 8 years of experience in content writing and after judiciously covering the life of Shaquille O’Neal, she even earned an exclusive interview with the CEO of Shaq’s Big Chicken franchise, Josh Halpern.
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Edited by:

Pragya Vashisth