LeBron James (Image via Getty) On January 12, 2026, the script was perfectly laid out with the narrative of LeBron James’ homecoming to Sacramento, the very city where he made his professional debut back in 2003. And to celebrate his 23rd season in the league, a special patch featuring James’ iconic chalk toss silhouette with three colours stripes and 23 in the background was released by Lakers and Topps. The three stripes represented the teams he played for: Cavaliers, Heat , and Lakers. It was a marketing dream and a historical landmark all rolled into one. However, the Sacramento Kings flipped the script and rewrote everything.
Sacramento Kings’ savage tweet at LeBron James
The Kings hosted the Lakers at the Golden 1 Center on Monday night, and it proved to be a defensive nightmare for the latter as they couldn’t contain the energetic Sacramento. It was Lakers’ first defeat against the Kings in the three games played this season. Luka Doncic poured in 42 points and went 16 from the field. LeBron James also contributed 22 points and 8 shots from the field, but Lakers struggled to find rhythm from deep, hitting only 8 of 36 attempts from three-point range. Meanwhile, the Kings hit 17 of 26 from the deep and 58% from the floor. DeMar DeRozan led the charge with 32 points, turning LeBron’s celebration into a double-digit blowout. But the real salting of the wound didn’t happen until the game was over. The Sacramento Kings after the 124–112 victory, posted on their official X account, “bad day to be a jersey patch debut.” The caption was simple yet ruthless and served as the ultimate if you know, you know moment for NBA fans.
The patch collector’s conundrum
The irony of the post is that these patches are part of a massive play as after every game, the patches are removed, dated, and sent to Topps to be embedded into ultra-rare trading cards. While collectors will undoubtedly scramble to own a piece of history, the debut of the patch card didn’t go as planned, rather it will now be forever associated with a blowout loss and a viral troll job.In an era where the Lakers are chasing top seeds and LeBron is rewriting the rules for longevity, the Kings reminded everyone that on any given night, the power to write the narrative belongs to the winner. It was a classic Sacramento vs. Everybody moment, proving that while you can stitch history onto a jersey, you still have to defend the perimeter.Also read: NBA pays tribute to LeBron James’ 23-year journey with special patch debut in Sacramento