- Bulls legend Scottie Pippen pens emotional letter to his son following his deal with Lakers
- Pacers lottery pick challenges LeBron James: ‘A lot of people say he’s great…he’s going to have to show me he’s better than me’
- Report: Lakers have the most interest out of all teams in Kyrie Irving
- Darvin Ham and Rob Pelinka have had multiple meetings with Russell Westbrook, imploring him to be defense-first player
- 3 reasons the Lakers should stay far away from Kyrie Irving
- Report: Lakers make trade for 2nd-round pick in 2022 NBA Draft
- Brian Windhorst says Kyrie Irving joining Lakers for mid-level exception can’t be ruled out
- Western Conference executive says ‘most likely scenario’ is Russell Westbrook going back to OKC Thunder
- Report: Kyrie Irving has had ‘recent contact’ with LeBron James to ‘presumably discuss a potential reunion’
- Report: Lakers considered ‘most significant’ threat to land Kyrie Irving
LeBron James gushes over Malik Monk after Lakers pick up 4th straight win on Friday
- Updated: January 7, 2022

The Los Angeles Lakers are on a four-game winning streak after a 134-118 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, and a big reason why has been guard Malik Monk.
After Monk had 29 points against Atlanta, LeBron James couldn’t help but shower him with praise.
LeBron on Malik Monk: "He's just been in the zone, continues to take great shots. … He's more than a shooter, can put the ball on the ground, get to the rim, he's super athletic."
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) January 8, 2022
Not too long ago, Monk was a lottery pick and people had high expectations for him, but he didn’t really pan out as an impact player.
L.A. signed him for the veteran’s minimum salary this offseason, and he has been a spark plug.
Of late, he has moved into the starting lineup, and his hot shooting has helped the Lakers recover from a five-game losing streak in December.
On Friday, he shot 11-of-20 from the field and 7-of-12 from 3-point land.
James added 32 points, eight rebounds, nine assists, four steals and three blocked shots as he continued his own torrid play.
Russell Westbrook narrowly missed a triple-double and Avery Bradley got hot himself while Carmelo Anthony and Talen Horton-Tucker supplied plenty of punch off the bench.
As a team, the Lakers made their game against Atlanta an offensive showcase, as they had plenty of assists and killed the Hawks with their transition game.