It’s no secret LeBron James and Jimmy Butler have had several battles in the past. The two were on the opposite ends of the 2020 NBA Finals, when Butler was still with the Miami Heat.
With that said, their handshake after Thursday’s game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors naturally drew plenty of attention.
The Dubs visited James and the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena in their final meeting of the regular season. Star guard Stephen Curry led the way for Golden State, exploding for 37 points to lead the Warriors to a 123-116 win.
Butler contributed 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and three steals.
On the Lakers’ side, James notched 33 points, five rebounds and nine assists in 40 minutes. Austin Reaves added 31 points, while Luka Doncic tallied 19 points, eight boards and seven dimes.
After the match, the Dubs posted a video of James and Butler shaking hands and hugging it out on the court. The team captioned it with a handshake emoji, highlighting the respect that the two players showed.
It was the first time James faced a Warriors team with Butler in the lineup, so the moment between the two was definitely special.
The Warriors acquired Butler just before the trade deadline from the Miami Heat in a five-team deal. In exchange for the All-Star wing, Golden State sent Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and a protected first-round pick to the Heat.
With the Lakers (46-30) and Warriors (45-31) currently fourth and fifth in the Western Conference standings, another matchup in the postseason is a possibility.
