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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James

A difficult Game 5 for LeBron James showed him still confident enough to call out Alperen Sengun on the court during a tense moment. The Houston Rockets scored a huge road victory over the Los Angeles Lakers to add pressure to the series. Los Angeles has two chances to close out Houston, or they’ll become the first team in NBA history to blow an 0-3 series lead.

However, Game 5 showed that James’ frustration transferred to Sengun complaining about fouls. Cameras caught LeBron saying the following message to Sengun when James was about to shoot free throws:

“Nah, not you. Anybody else on your roster but you. You don’t say that, you don’t say that. You’re the only person out here who can’t say that. Soft ass tall guy.”

LeBron showed no mercy when trash talking to Sengun for complaining to referees about getting the foul call. Houston had a double-digit lead at the time that they held until the final buzzer. James didn’t like the tallest player on the court complaining about getting called for fouls when he also gets to the free throw line often. To his credit, Sengun has stepped up his play to get the Rockets back into this series.

Why Does LeBron James Dislike Alperen Sengun?

Multiple Lakers have had moments clashing with Sengun on the court throughout the first five games of the series. Long playoff series often sees opposing players starting to detest each other, as shown here with LeBron calling out Sengun in front of everyone.

Sengun is a physical player who draws contact on offense, and this situation provided an example of what happens when he gets called for one. James was also having a tough night with many believing that he’s starting to tire from carrying the Lakers’ offense at an older age due to injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

Rockets forward Jabari Smith also got some criticism from LeBron for saying Houston is the better team and creating pointless media takes. James is having a normal reaction of a player butting heads against one team after five games of intense playoff basketball.

LeBron James Must Outplay Alperen Sengun

LeBron is in an unfair situation of having to lead a team at this stage of his career. Reaves returned in Game 5, but he’s still working his way back into the flow. A good game showed positive signs, despite having to come off the bench due to his long stint off the court.

James is the one tasked with matching Houston’s best All-Star player, while Kevin Durant is also out with an injury. Los Angeles is asking LeBron to outplay Sengun and hope the rest of the Lakers’ flawed supporting cast can hit big shots to pull off a victory.

James will have to give his all to avoid becoming part of the most embarrassing scenario in NBA history. An all-time great leading a team that becomes the first and only one to lose a 3-0 series lead would be terrible for LeBron’s resume as an argument point against him.