LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers had a night to forget during Monday’s road matchup against the Sacramento Kings, falling 124-112 behind an abysmal 3-point shooting performance.
Afterward, Sacramento’s social media team seized an opportunity to poke fun at James, who debuted a unique nightly in-game tribute during the letdown.
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Kings Mock LeBron James’ Year 23 Jersey Patch Debut After Lakers’ 3rd Straight Loss
Early Monday, it was announced that James would begin wearing a jersey patch over LA’s remaining 46 outings to celebrate his historic 23rd NBA season. The patch features a silhouette of the four-time MVP’s iconic pregame chalk toss and colored stripes representing the three franchises he’s played for (Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Lakers).
The patches will be removed from James’ jersey after each game and inserted into Topps trading cards, preserving them as collectors’ items.
— StatHunter (@stat_hunter) January 13, 2026
Unfortunately for the 21-time All-Star, the initiative didn’t get off to an ideal start, as after building an early nine-point lead, LA went ice-cold.
The Lakers fell behind by as many as 20 points in the third quarter, never leading during the contest’s final 38 minutes despite superstar guard Luka Dončić’s game-high 42-point showing.
LA finished just 8-for-36 from beyond the arc (22.2%), continuing a concerning trend for the aspiring Western Conference contender. While James tallied 22 points on respectable 8-for-17 shooting (47.1%), he missed all five of his 3-point attempts, exacerbating his squad’s shooting woes.
Conversely, the Kings received a much more balanced and spirited team effort, with DeMar DeRozan, Malik Monk, and Russell Westbrook accounting for 80 of their 124 points.
Sacramento’s victory improbably marked its second straight against an upper-echelon West opponent following its recent seven-game losing streak. This comes after it dispatched the Houston Rockets 111-98 at home a night earlier, leaving the franchise’s social media admin feeling confident on X.
“Bad day to be a jersey patch debut,” the team tweeted, referencing James’ newly unveiled tribute.
bad day to be a jersey patch debut 🙂↔️
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) January 13, 2026
Despite the Kings’ playful jab at the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, the team still possesses a bottom-three record in the league-wide standings (10-30), with seemingly little direction.
As for the Lakers (23-14), they have dropped three straight games and 10 of their last 18 dating back to Dec. 1 as questions mount about their defense and outside shooting.
During that 18-game span, they have ranked third-last in the NBA in defensive rating (119.5) and second-last in 3-point percentage (32.7%). As such, LA may require reinforcements ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline to emerge as a true title threat.