Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has been in the NBA for 23 seasons, and he has showcased plenty of special handshakes with his teammates over the course of his career.
James has played with three franchises – the Lakers, Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers – yet he never seems to forget a handshake with his many teammates.
The future Hall of Famer was recently asked how he comes up with and remembers all of his special handshakes.
“I have no f—— idea,” James said. “I have no idea. Some of the handshakes are like – I kinda try to learn my teammates over the course of time. Early on, I’ll kinda like – what they’re into, what they like, things of that nature.”
James used his current Lakers teammate Dalton Knecht as an example, saying that the bow and arrow part of their handshake is because of how well the youngster shoots the ball.
“Some of them, it’s just off the top of the head,” James added. “I don’t even – I’ve been doing it for so long, I don’t even know, man. Me and my best friends, we’ve been together for, what, since we were eight years old. We’ve had handshakes since we were young.”
He continued.
“It’s just weird that I can remember a lot of these,” James said.
NBA legend Steve Nash – James’ co-host on “Mind the Game” – then asked if he still remembers handshakes from 2008.
“Yeah, it’s weird,” the four-time league MVP said. “It’s time-consuming. It’s very time-consuming. … I need to stop, but it’s cool.”
There’s no doubt that James puts time and effort into his relationships with his teammates, and that is a major reason why he’s won four NBA titles and reached the championship series 10 times in his career.
Not only is James one of the smartest players ever when it comes to his basketball IQ, but he clearly takes the time to get to know his teammates and establish relationships and rituals with them.
After leading the Lakers to a first-round series victory against the Houston Rockets in the 2025-26 season, James is navigating a period where his future in the NBA is up in the air. He could return for a 24th season in the 2026-27 campaign, but he is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
If he doesn’t return to the Lakers, James may have to create and memorize some new handshakes if he ends up on a new team. And, even if he does stay in Los Angeles, there’s a chance that the Lakers will have some new faces around him and fellow superstar Luka Doncic in the 2026-27 season.
