Jared Dudley ended his 14-year NBA career on Tuesday, confirming a report that he is indeed trading his forehead bands for a briefcase to become an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks.
One person who didn’t like the news was LeBron James.
James took to Twitter to congratulate Dudley on his career, but didn’t like that he wasn’t playing alongside or against the veteran forward next season.
“Congratulations to my friend if this is true, what [es] probably! But man!!! F — “, tweeted James. In another tweet, shortly after, James wrote:” Sorry for my language, but I still feel hurt !!! For many reasons that they would not understand ”.
Maybe yes, LeBron. Dudley wasn’t a statistic star or the flashiest of players, but he gave the Lakers a veteran voice, even if he was limited to 12 games last season due to a torn right medial collateral ligament. He was a role player, and he played that role well, whether on the bench or on the court, as James pointed out in January.
With these accolades, it’s no wonder Dudley is following former Lakers assistant Jason Kidd to Dallas, where he’ll work alongside former Sparks player Kristi Toliver on Kidd’s team. With the 36-year-old Dudley coming off a serious injury and not getting into the Lakers’ plans for 2021-22, it’s only fitting that he embarks on the next phase of his basketball career.
Dudley, who won an NBA title with the Lakers in 2020, played in 57 games with the team. He averaged 7.3 points per game in 904 career games.
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