Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James referenced Mario and Call of Duty in a post-game motivational speech after winning round one of the NBA Playoffs.
10 games into the 2023 season, the Los Angeles Lakers looked dead in the water, only winning two games. General Manager Rob Pelinka put all of his chips in and overhauled the roster at the trade deadline. Every move paid dividends, as the purple and gold went 17-9 in the season’s final stretch and secured a spot in the Play-In Tournament.
LA squeaked by Minnesota and then took down a hobbled Minnesota Grizzlies roster in six games. Despite riding a high, LeBron James used Mario and Call of Duty as motivational tools, heading into the next round of action.
LeBron James motivates team with Call of Duty and Mario
Believe it or not, LeBron James loves video games, posting several videos in the past playing Madden. The future Hall of Famer’s passion for sports games shouldn’t come as a surprise, but most fans probably wouldn’t guess he’s also a Mario fan.
After knocking out Memphis in the playoffs, James told his teammates: “Level 1 is complete. It gets harder and harder each level.”
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“Y’all play Call of Duty. Y’all know what that means going to the next level, y’all play Mario Bros you know what that means.”
"Y'all play Call of Duty. Y'all know what that means going to the next level… Y'all play Mario Bros…”Bron puts winning in the playoffs into perspective 😅(via @SpectrumSN) pic.twitter.com/ssLa8aBWjE
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 5, 2023
James added that “level 2 is upon us,” and the next level’s boss certainly isn’t a pushover. The Lakers currently find themselves tied 1-1 in a playoff series against the defending champion, Golden State Warriors.
To reach level three, the Lakers must knock off Steph Curry and company in a best-of-seven bout. With only three lives remaining, James is back in action on Saturday, May 6, at 8:30 p.m. EST.
