Dez Bryant reacts to LeBron James smacking him twice in Madden NFL

Jesse Cinquini
3 Min Read
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant recently took to X to praise Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James’ skills in Madden NFL.

Bryant played eight of his nine seasons in the NFL with the Cowboys franchise, who drafted him in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. During his time in Dallas, he earned three Pro Bowl appearances and led the NFL in receiving touchdowns with 16 during the 2014 regular season.

After not playing during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, the wide receiver played the 2020 season with the Baltimore Ravens. In six appearances with the Ravens during the regular season, he totaled 47 receiving yards, three first downs receiving and two receiving touchdowns.

James’ career in the NBA, meanwhile, is still going strong despite him being 38 years old. In 15 games played with the storied Lakers franchise so far this season — his 21st season in the NBA — he is averaging 25.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game while shooting 57.8 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from behind the 3-point line.

James and the Lakers are 6-4 in their last 10 games and fresh off a three-point home loss to Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 22.

Irving and Doncic — arguably Dallas’ two best players — both had great games against Los Angeles. The former finished with 28 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals while shooting 11-of-22 from the floor in 35 minutes played, while the latter recorded 30 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and two steals in 39 minutes of playing time.

Conversely, James led the Lakers in scoring. He scored 26 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the field and 4-of-9 shooting from 3-point range. He also recorded nine rebounds and seven assists.

Austin Reaves — who came off the bench — finished with the second-most points on the team with 17. He also grabbed six rebounds and dished out six assists.

Here’s to hoping that James and Bryant will face off against each other in Madden NFL again soon and that videos of the rematch will be available to view on social media.

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Jesse is a sports journalist with extensive experience covering the NBA. He has worked as a staff writer covering the Lakers’ dreaded rivals, the Boston Celtics, for SB Nation. He has also covered the New York Knicks for The Knicks Wall.