Matthew Stafford is now a Super Bowl-winning quarterback — and perhaps on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. So what are the perks of living as a star in Hollywood?
How about courtside seats to a Los Angeles Lakers game while treated to a historic LeBron James performance. Even better? Acknowledgements from The King himself throughout the game.
James had one of his greatest performances Saturday night in a 124-116 win against his nemesis Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. And apparently, it was all for Stafford.
That’s right, the former Detroit Lions quarterback fresh off a Super Bowl 56 win with the Los Angeles Rams, was sitting a few feet away from the Lakers bench and interacted with James while he cooked the Warriors.
James, who ironically scored 56 points, tied for the third-most in his legendary career, hit back-to-back deep 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to give the Lakers the lead, and said something to an impressed Stafford on his way back to the bench.
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In the final minute, coming out of a timeout, James told Stafford he was the inspiration for the virtuoso performance.
“I can’t have you in the building and not put on a show,” James said, as Stafford and his wife, Kelly, laughed and cheered.
It was the 13th time James has had at least 50 points in a regular-season game. He finished 19-for-31 and hit six of his 11 3-point attempts. At 37 years old, he’s averaging 29.4 points per game, third in the NBA just a tick behind Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
And after his on-court, postgame interview with ESPN’s Lisa Salters, James found Stafford and the two continued the bromance with a hug. Kelly got a handshake and a finger point.
Yes, the Staffords are loving their new life in L.A.
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The stumbling Lakers (28-35) are ninth in the Western Conference, meaning they’d need to win two play-in tournament games to reach the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Stafford has a few more months to enjoy with his family, which includes four young daughters, before NFL offseason workouts begin.
If you missed the game, here are the highlights from James’ 56-point night.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: LeBron James scores 56, tells Matthew Stafford it was for him
