The Houston Rockets' 2026 NBA Playoffs got off to a rough start, as they fell to a 107-98 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in their Game 1 clash.
The Lakers were without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, prompting LeBron James to lead them on-court. The Rockets had a similar problem, as Alperen Sengun was without his co-star, Kevin Durant, for Game 1 as well.
A viral clip after the Lakers' Game 1 win showed Sengun standing up as LeBron walked past him, highlighting the moment as one where Sengun is showing respect to LeBron.
However, the Rockets center told the media after practice on Monday that the moment had been completely misunderstood, as Sengun was only removing something from his pocket.
“I just saw that video today. Everybody was sending it to me. I was just trying to get something out of my pocket, that’s why I got up. No disrespect to LeBron, of course, but I didn't stand up for him. It was just something I was getting out of my pocket.”
Since most of the current players in the NBA grew up watching James, they tend to show the all-time leading scorer respect while interacting with him off-court.
Many Asian cultures also make similar gestures towards elders or people you respect, so the virality might have been based on assumptions made by fans before major media outlets reshared the moment.
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Sengun and James were the two leaders on opposite ends of the court and have an 18-year age difference between them, so it seems people assumed it was a gesture of respect from the 23-year-old to the 41-year-old.
Sengun will be expected to lead the Rockets in Game 2 of the series as well, with Kevin Durant's status still unclear. The Turkish center has averaged 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists in the regular season and put up 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists in Game 1 of this series.
LeBron is proving why he deserves all the respect he gets from his peers in the NBA, after averaging 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds in a record-breaking 23rd NBA season. He put up 19 points, eight rebounds and 13 assists in Game 1 to lead the Lakers to a win, a remarkable feat for someone with the miles he has.
Game 2 will pit these two stars from different generations against each other. Doncic and Reaves aren't expected to be back either, so unless Durant's game-time decision is a positive outcome for Houston, we'll be left with another Sengun vs. LeBron clash on Tuesday, April 21.
