Foes Stephenson, James joining forces in L.A.
Lakers practice will be more entertaining than some of their games next season. It will be the only place to see Lance Stephenson try to get under the skin of new teammate LeBron James.
The Brooklyn native is following James to Los Angeles, signing a oneyear deal worth $4.5 million, ESPN reported, just hours after James agreed to a four-year, $154 million contract with the Lakers. The Pacers declined Stephenson’s $4.5 million option for the coming season.
The 27-year-old Stephenson has been a nuisance for James, doing little things while playing with the Pacers to annoy him. It began in the 2012 postseason when Stephenson made a choking gesture directed at James following a missed free throw. It has included ear-blowing, trash talk, flopping (mostly by Stephenson) and after-the-whistle antics. James called him “dirty” this year after being given a technical foul for pushing Stephenson. James was given a technical foul in the teams’ opening-round series for shoving Stephenson.
“I should have never gotten a tech in the first place,” James said then. “A timeout is called, this guy’s following me to my bench. I give him a little nudge and he falls to halfcourt. But I should know better. But I’ve been dealing with this since elementary [school]. It’s like I tell you a joke, you laugh, you get caught. That’s what happened. Lance told me a joke. I laughed. Teacher caught me. Now I got to go see the principal.”
During the 2016-17 season, Stephenson and James nearly joined forces. The Cavaliers brought Ste- phenson in for a free-agent minicamp, but he was coming off an injury and didn’t stick.
The 6-foot-6 Stephenson, however, has yet to be able to produce unless he’s playing with the Pacers. Following the 2013-14 season, the former Lincoln High School star signed a three-year, $27 million deal with the Hornets, but was a disappointment. After rejoining the Pacers last season following stints with the Clippers, Grizzles, Timberwolves and Pelicans, he enjoyed a strong year this past season, averaging 9.2 points and 5.2 rebounds.