One of the most recognizable faces in pop music took his seat courtside at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night and immediately ignited the crowd and The King.
Justin Bieber didn’t just sit courtside Tuesday night as the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Orlando Magic—he became LeBron James’ biggest cheerleader. Every spin move from LeBron drew a clenched fist.
Every time he hit a three, Bieber stood and applauded. When LeBron bullied his way into the lane and splashed another jumper to push the Lakers ahead 16-10, Bieber popped up from his seat and started gassing up The King.
LeBron poured in 10 first-quarter points with the calm of a man who understands his own greatness. Luka Dončić added 11 points, four rebounds, and four assists in a quarter that felt like a clinic. The Lakers shot north of 50 percent and led 33-25 after one.
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Before the game, as players were being introduced, LeBron went up and greeted Bieber. Fans online started calling the moment “LeBieber James,” half jokingly, of course.
The Lakers’ maligned defense was in a 2-3 zone for most of the night, and it surprisingly worked against the 30-26 Magic team that is fighting for playoff position in the Eastern Conference.
The best moment of the first half came when Luka Doncic broke Moritz Wagner’s ankles on a crossover, and then drilled a stepback three-pointer in his face.
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Luka breaks Wagner's ankles, then buries the three-pointer. LA up 33-25 after one. https://t.co/c3QcKpbVBh
The Lakers led the Magic 56-53 at the half, as they try and bounce back from an embarrassing blowout loss to the rival Celtics on Sunday.
