Josh Hart on LeBron: “He’s the best player in the world”

Oct 18, 2018; Portland, OR, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after scoring in the first half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

The arena shook after LeBron James scored back-to-back dunks for the Lakers in the first quarter, and it was the start of something beautiful. Everyone was eagerly anticipating LeBron’s Los Angeles Laker debut, and although it was a 128-119 loss to the Portland Trailblazers, you could tell that this team would be special.

WE HAVE 82 GAMES OF THIS OH MY GOD pic.twitter.com/Br5wnJMNZC

— Jacob Rude (@JacobRude) October 19, 2018

Josh Hart had high praise for his new teammate after those first quarter dunks.

When asked what he thought about LeBron James' two thunderous tomahawk jams to start the game, Josh Hart said, "He's the best player in the world and he showed that." https://t.co/LkkEDIpzDm

— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) October 19, 2018

Hart says it best while keeping it short. What else were we supposed to expect from the world’s best player? Things like that happen all the time for the four-time league MVP, but we can never get enough. For those two buckets to be LeBron’s first two as a Laker, it was a really special moment.

Thursday night was the Lakers’ 16th straight loss to the Portland Trailblazers, and the arena had the feeling of a playoff game at times. The entire arena erupted after the two LeBron dunks, and it almost felt like the game was being played at the Staples Center.

Honi, Jacob and I talked about the game on a podcast around 30 minutes after the game went final. You can watch that here or listen to it on our iTunes.

The Lakers have their home opener on Saturday night against the Houston Rockets, who are also 0-1 following a 131-112 beatdown against the New Orleans Pelicans. Both teams will be looking to turn the narrative around.

As always, be sure to follow Lakers Outsiders on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. There are 81 more games to be played, and we’ll have you covered for all of them and everything in between.