For LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, it was an opening night to forget.

The King’s 21st NBA season began in a poor manner despite a lot of preseason fanfare.

James’ 21st season as an NBA player did not get off to a good startCredit: Getty

 

The reigning champion Denver Nuggets defeated the Colorado Nuggets 119-107 to begin their NBA title defense.

James was the center of attention, but Nikola Jokic, the league MVP from the previous season, stole the show with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists to solidify his status as one of the most interesting players in the game.

James put up a career-high 21 points, but it was all in vain as the Nuggets defeated their own supporters in front of their own supporters after their banner ceremony.

The Nuggets supporters made the decision to disparage James and his teammates as the game was coming to a close.

As the clock was running out, the supporters began yelling, “Who’s your Daddy?” as a tribute to Denver’s victory against the Lakers in the Western Conference finals earlier in the season.

James appeared mildly irritated to the television cameras as the Lakers lost badly.

As a matter of fact, the squad has suffered seven straight losses in their opening games—a terrible streak that dates back to 2016.

James, a four-time NBA champion, only contributed 29 minutes to the loss on Tuesday night.

When asked if James’ load management strategy would likely be implemented going forward, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham replied, “We’ll see.” Very probably, yes.” 

Now 38 years old, James acknowledged that there was a strategy in place to restrict his playing time.

Four-time MVP The MVP declared, “I guess there’s a system in place and I’m going to follow it.”