LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Ime Udoka, the head coach of the Houston Rockets, got into an unusually officiated argument on Saturday night, which resulted in a technical penalty for James and an ejection for Udoka.
With 8:35 left in the fourth quarter and the Lakers up 93-77, James and Udoka got into a heated altercation.
After some moderate jawing on the court, Lakers swingman Cam Reddish removed himself with Rockets forward Tari Eason after fouling him and walking into him seconds after the play was dead.
Following the play, Udoka was heard addressing James. However, when the all-time great tried to get close to the Houston head coach, controversial Rockets wing Dillon Brooks got in the way.
After a confrontation between Udoka and James, the Rockets head coach was ejected and James was assessed a technical foul.
“We had some conversation and [they] didn’t like what they heard,” Udoka said following the incident.
Additionally, Udoka expressed his displeasure with the Rockets’ aggression. The Rockets are a club that has been known for their defensive improvement this season, especially at home, where they remain the only team in the NBA without a trip win.
The specifics of the discussion were also questioned of James.
In his response, he offered that his back and forth with Udoka was about, “Thanksgiving… how much we enjoyed Thanksgiving.”