<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-lou-williams-confronts-blake-griffin-over-animosity-after-clippers-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lou Williams confronts Blake Griffin over animosity after Clippers trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Blake-Griffin-32-high-fives-guard-Lou-Williams-23-after-scoring-in-the-third-quarter-basket-against-the-Houston-Rockets.jpg"><figcaption>© Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lou Williams confronts Blake Griffin over animosity after Clippers trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-21T11:03:46-07:00">October 21st, 11:03am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-21T11:03:46-07:00">October 21st, 11:03am</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Clippers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Former Los Angeles Clippers teammates Lou Williams and Blake Griffin revisited lingering emotions surrounding <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/pistons-news-blake-griffin-shocked-clippers-trade">Griffin’s 2018 trade to the Detroit Pistons</a> during a recent episode of FanDuel’s Run It Back, where both players appeared as guests.</p><p>Griffin <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NyDRJGR6h0&amp;t=107s" rel="noopener">reflected on how his feelings</a> toward the Clippers’ front office have changed over time, clarifying that his frustration had been aimed at management rather than his former teammates.</p><p>“I think it lessens over time. I didn’t really feel any animosity, especially not towards any of the players — you definitely sort of feel it to people that made the actual decision,” Griffin said. “But I mean, the wound heals and that sting feels less and less. He also went from Dallas, which is a great city, to LA, which is a great city a lot of people want to play in. So his situation’s not that bad. He’s on a great franchise. So I would expect him to just be back to business this season.”</p><h2><b>Lou Williams recalls Blake Griffin’s cold return to Los Angeles after his 2018 Clippers trade</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Blake-Griffin-32-and-guard-Lou-Williams-23-react-after-defeating-the-Atlanta-Hawks.jpg"><figcaption>© Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Griffin was referring to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/nba-rumors-jewish-holiday-held-up-luka-doncic-trade">Luka Doncic, who was traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers</a> earlier this year in a blockbuster deal that reshaped the Western Conference. Drawing from his own experience, Griffin compared Doncic’s transition to his own in 2018, when he was unexpectedly dealt to Detroit midway through the season despite recently signing a five-year, $171 million contract with the Clippers.</p><p>Williams, who played alongside Griffin during the 2017-18 season before the trade, challenged Griffin’s comments by recalling a perceived cold reunion following the transaction.</p><p>“I don’t know, Blake,” Williams interjected. “I don’t remember you speaking to me when you came back to LA that first time. I don’t think you showed a lot of love that first time you came back.”</p><p>Griffin appeared momentarily caught off guard, asking, “Came back to LA or in Detroit?”</p><p>Williams clarified, “No, when you came back to LA to play.”</p><p>The exchange drew laughter from the Run It Back panel but also highlighted how the emotions tied to Griffin’s abrupt departure from the Clippers still resonate years later. The trade marked a major turning point for the franchise — coming just months after the Clippers had declared Griffin their long-term cornerstone with an elaborate re-signing presentation featuring the phrase “Clipper for life.”</p><h2><b>Griffin’s Clippers legacy and past tensions with the franchise resurface</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Blake-Griffin.jpg"><figcaption>Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>During his tenure with the Clippers from 2010 to 2018, Griffin averaged 21.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game across 504 appearances. A five-time All-Star with Los Angeles, he helped define the “Lob City” era alongside Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan, turning the team into a perennial playoff contender and one of the league’s most entertaining squads.</p><p>Griffin’s relationship with Clippers ownership, particularly with team chairman Steve Ballmer, became a focal point following his exit. During his first game back in Los Angeles as a member of the Pistons, cameras captured Griffin walking past Ballmer without acknowledging him during pregame introductions, a moment that fueled speculation about the depth of his frustration toward the organization.</p><p>Williams’ lighthearted yet pointed comment on Run It Back appeared to resurface those tensions, offering a rare glimpse into how trades can strain personal dynamics within NBA locker rooms. Despite the brief confrontation, both players maintained a respectful tone throughout the segment, signaling that any past grievances have largely faded with time.</p><p>The conversation underscored the human side of professional basketball, where abrupt roster changes can leave emotional imprints even on veteran players. For the Clippers, Griffin’s trade marked the end of an era defined by playoff hopes, high-flying highlights, and eventual heartbreak.</p><p>While Griffin’s career continued with stops in Detroit, Brooklyn, and Boston before his retirement, and Williams later became one of the most celebrated sixth men in NBA history, their exchange on Run It Back served as a reminder of how personal and lasting the business side of basketball can be.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lou Williams confronts Blake Griffin over animosity after Clippers trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-ripped-lou-williams-setting-bad-example-decision-2-0-fakeout');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ LeBron James ripped by Lou Williams for setting bad example with ‘Decision 2.0’ fakeout');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Lakers-All-Star-LeBron-James2.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lakers’ LeBron James ripped by Lou Williams for setting bad example with ‘Decision 2.0’ fakeout</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-20T09:05:03-07:00">October 20th, 9:05am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-20T09:05:03-07:00">October 20th, 9:05am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As Los Angeles Lakers All-Star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lebron-james-bold-predictions-2025-26-lakers-season">LeBron James enters his 23rd NBA season</a>, his Decision 2.0 faked out many people anticipating that 2025-26 will be his last season, including former player and FanDuel Sports analyst, Lou Williams. The marketing for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/skip-bayless-obliterates-lakers-star-lebron-james-second-decision-move">James’ second decision was a Hennessey ad</a>, which didn’t sit well with Williams, as he explained why.</p><p>Williams thinks James’ retirement fakeout set <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1980281283717599569" rel="noopener">a bad example for kids</a>, he said, per FanDuel Sports’ Run It Back.</p><p>“It’s the dad and the coach in me. When you flirt with the Decision 2.0, the first time it was about the Boys &amp; Girls Club. So, when you do it again, you involve the kids,” Williams said. “My daughter texted me “Is LeBron retiring?” So, now, you have this age of kids waiting to hear his decision, and we’re inviting them to a Hennessey party.”</p><p>Lou Williams’ co-host, Chandler Parsons, didn’t like LeBron’s new ad either.</p><p>“I thought it would be something worthy of making a decision about [retiring]. So, yeah, I got duped a little bit,” Parsons said. “But I didn’t love this. You’re LeBron James, man. It just felt like a reach for attention when you’re the last person that needs that. I was not a fan.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I didn't love it… you have this age of kids waiting to hear his decision and we're inviting them to a Hennessy party."</p><p>Lou Williams wasn't a fan of LeBron James' "Decision 2.0" 👀</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/RunItBackFDTV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RunItBackFDTV</a>)<a href="https://t.co/z3GqouIX7o">pic.twitter.com/z3GqouIX7o</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1980281283717599569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>For the first time in his career, James will not begin the start of the upcoming regular season due to a sciatic nerve injury on his right side, which will keep him out for at least the first few weeks. LeBron missed the Lakers’ entire preseason.</p><h2><b>Skip Bayless rips LeBron James’ new ad ahead of Lakers’ season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Lakers-All-Star-LeBron-James_523257.jpg"><figcaption>David Gonzales-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Few NBA analysts are less critical with Lakers All-Star LeBron James than Skip Bayless, who ripped unsurprisingly ripped James for his Decision 2.0 ad with Hennessey. Bayless <a href="https://twitter.com/SkipBaylessShow/status/1976000461334364626" rel="noopener">didn’t hold back</a> as he spewed his frustration with James for making such a move at this stage of his 23-year NBA career, he said, per the Skip Bayless Show.</p><p>“It was an iconic sports moment because we’d never seen anything like that,” said Bayless of James’ original 2010 “Decision” to join the Miami Heat. “It was a GOAT-ish sort of endeavor… and to take that decision, ‘The Decision,’ and stoop to cheapen it, to sell it out? To make money, to launch some new Hennesy brand of Cognac? Really, you would stoop to that LeBron, as you enter this stage and age, as you enter year 23, age 40?”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">You prostituted your iconic moment to make your killing from Hennessy.. LeBron, I thought you were better than that. <a href="https://t.co/OeKwerXV9G">pic.twitter.com/OeKwerXV9G</a></p><p>— The Skip Bayless Show (@SkipBaylessShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkipBaylessShow/status/1976000461334364626?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Lakers will host the Warriors in their regular-season opener on Tuesday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ LeBron James ripped by Lou Williams for setting bad example with ‘Decision 2.0’ fakeout

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-news-lou-williams-kobe-bryant-shai-gilgeous-alexander-comparison');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lou Williams makes Kobe Bryant-Shai-Gilgeous Alexander comparison');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Thunder-All-Star-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lou Williams makes Kobe Bryant-Shai-Gilgeous Alexander comparison</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-08T12:34:10-07:00">August 8th, 12:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-08T12:34:10-07:00">August 8th, 12:34pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA Stories</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Retired NBA guard and podcast host Lou Williams shared the similarities he sees in MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Hall of Fame guard Kobe Bryant. While <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-gets-ultimate-praise-allen-iverson">Gilgeous-Alexander is often compared to Allen Iverson</a>, another Hall of Fame guard who inspired a generation of hoopers, Williams gave his honest review of who Gilgeous-Alexander reminds him of. For Lou, SGA is closer to a Kobe-caliber player in lieu of AI.</p><p>En route to capturing his first championship, Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to an NBA Finals Game 7 victory against the Indiana Pacers. However, for Williams, it’s Gilgeous-Alexander’s <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1953885017786003668" rel="noopener">offensive approach</a> that reminds him of the five-time champion, Bryant, he said, per Gil’s Arena.</p><p>“He’s more Kobe. I know everyone is gonna fight that. I know that’s something everybody gonna be like what the f*** you talking about? But, that’s how Shai is, man,” Williams said. “He has that type of temperament game. As you can see, you can’t speed him up. He’s gonna get to his spot. He’s gonna do what he wants to do. When it’s all said and done, I think that’s more of his class than anything else.”</p><p>While some NBA fans won’t go as far as comparing SGA to a player such as Bryant or Los Angeles Lakers All-Star LeBron James — two Hall of Fame talents who earned five and four championships, respectively — Williams sees shades of Bryant in Gilgeous-Alexander.</p><p>“Kind of taboo when you talk about hey, that’s more LeBron. Nah, that’s AI,” Williams added. “Like nah, that’s Kobe.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“He’s more Kobe. I know everyone is gonna fight that… [Shai] has that type of temperament game. He’s gonna get to his spot and do what he wants to do.”</p><p>Lou Williams compares Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s game to Kobe Bryant’s 👀 </p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/GilsArenaShow?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GilsArenaShow</a>)<a href="https://t.co/mYKG3rZrf1">pic.twitter.com/mYKG3rZrf1</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1953885017786003668?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 8, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-the-role-allen-iverson-played-shai-gilgeous-alexander-rise-mvp">Gilgeous-Alexander credits Iverson as someone who influenced</a> his game growing up. His dad would watch Iverson’s games with him when Gilgeous-Alexander was a kid. SGA’s favorite player, who Lou Williams sees in Gilgeous-Alexander’s game, was Kobe, who he unfortunately never got the chance to meet as Shai was selected as the 11th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Bryant retired in 2016 and tragically died in a helicopter crash in 2020.</p><h2><b>Allen Iverson’s role in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander upbringing</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Hall-of-Fame-guard-Kobe-Bryant.jpg"><figcaption>Harrison Hill / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s father, Vaughn Alexander, revealed the kinds of influences Hall of Fame guards Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant played in his son’s life. While Michael Jordan was his GOAT, Vaughn introduced Iverson to Gilgeous-Alexander at a young age before SGA <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIy2URVhuf8&amp;t=1344s" rel="noopener">eventually gravitated toward</a> Bryant, per Gil’s Arena.</p><p>“Jordan’s the best that ever played, Iverson’s my guy. That’s just my opinion,” Alexander said. “Everyone can have their guy. But with Shai, it’s Kobe and then Iverson for him. He doesn’t put Jordan up there.”</p><p>Perhaps Gilgeous-Alexander’s offense can be described as a hybird between the two Hall of Fame scorers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lou Williams makes Kobe Bryant-Shai-Gilgeous Alexander comparison

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-news-lou-williams-sets-record-straight-on-magic-city-strip-club-rumors');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lou Williams sets record straight on Magic City strip club rumors during NBA bubble');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Former-Los-Angeles-Clippers-shooting-guard-Lou-Williams.jpg"><figcaption>Kim Klement-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lou Williams sets record straight on Magic City strip club rumors during NBA bubble</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-13T14:04:16-07:00">June 13th, 2:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-13T14:04:16-07:00">June 13th, 2:04pm</time><address><a>Zachary Howell</a>Zachary Howell is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints focusing on creating premier MLB content. He is a big fan of the Yankees, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Syracuse Orange. In his free time, he likes to be outside or read.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Clippers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When teams around the NBA made their way to Orlando to enter the bubble set up by the league in 2020, the Los Angeles Clippers were big title favorites. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George led the way, but Lou Williams was a key piece on Doc Rivers’ team. However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-lou-williams-shocking-nba-bubble-admission-has-fans-mocking-la">Williams turned heads around the league when news broke that he allegedly snuck out</a>. The rumors said that the Clippers guard went to Magic City, a strip club in Atlanta.</p><p>Even years later, the story of what may or may not have happened has followed Williams. Fans have accused him of giving up on the team and letting Rivers down when he was needed. On Thursday’s episode of <i>Gil’s Arena, </i>the former Sixth Man of the Year, shared the story from his perspective, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJFnEMr3cDA&amp;t=43s" rel="noopener">denying the rumors</a> that he snuck out of the bubble.</p><p>“But I want to put this to bed. I didn’t sneak out of the bubble to go to Magic City,” Williams said. “That’s not what happened., They excused me from the bubble to go to a funeral. Doctor is traveling with me. The funeral home was a block away from Magic(City). I’ve been staying in a hotel, eating hotel room, service food. Magic got good food.”</p><p>Williams has shared his side of the story multiple times throughout the years. However, fans only remember what happened as a result of his absence. Rivers led his team through the bubble well, enough, but got upset by the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs.</p><p>For a team heavily favored to make a deep run, the Clippers’ early exit set the tone for how the following seasons would go. The pairing of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George was big for Los Angeles. Instead of winning championships, the Clippers got as far as the Western Conference finals before <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/philadelphia-76ers/76ers-news-paul-george-breaks-silence-on-joining-philly">George left Los Angeles</a>.</p><p>Williams’ decision to leave the bubble to attend a funeral was one of many stories that came from the bubble. However, he doubled down on his side of the story, despite what fans might think.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lou Williams sets record straight on Magic City strip club rumors during NBA bubble

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-lou-williams-reveals-blame-oklahoma-city-game-1-collapse');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lou Williams reveals who’s to blame for Thunder’s Game 1 collapse');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Lou-Williams-to-blame-Thunder-Game-1-collapse-Pacers.jpg"><figcaption>© Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lou Williams reveals who’s to blame for Thunder’s Game 1 collapse</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-07T08:34:01-07:00">June 7th, 8:34am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-07T11:31:52-07:00">June 7th, 11:31am</time><address><a>Preston Byers</a>Preston Byers is an experienced writer and journalist who currently serves as an associate editor for ClutchPoints and as a staff writer at The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle, where he covers sports in the Mahoning Valley. Previously, Preston worked as an associate editor for Dot Esports and a site expert for FanSided's Union and Blue.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Oklahoma City Thunder lost Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals to the Indiana Pacers in stunning fashion, and many fans and analysts have <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/3-adjustments-thunder-must-make-after-nba-finals-game-1-catastrophe-vs-pacers">tried to pinpoint who exactly is most at fault</a> for the upset defeat.</p><p>Although there is plenty of praise to go around for the Pacers, who erased another double-digit deficit and took the lead in the dying seconds of the game, there is also <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1931226976838422938" rel="noopener">plenty of blame</a> to be dished out. With that in mind, former NBA player Lou Williams is pointing the finger <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-goes-allen-iverson-nba-finals-debut">at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder’s superstar guard</a> and the reigning MVP of the league.</p><p>“I gotta give this one to SGA. I thought the ball got sticky last night. I thought he tried to work with the nerves and work some off of the anxiety that he was having for this game. I thought he tried to shoot himself into this game. He probably shot them out of it,” Williams said on FanDuel’s ‘Run It Back’ on Friday.</p><p>“I think he was very aggressive — you had, what, 10 attempts in the first quarter, right? Not necessarily uncharacteristic of him, but this is a team that’s had success in their ball movement, the ball moving back and forth, side to side, everybody touching the ball. And they would turn good shots into great shots. I thought last night they played in a lot of traffic, and it started at the top. It started with SGA. I thought he was ultra aggressive, and it backfired.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“I gotta give this one to SGA [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander], the ball got sticky last night… he probably shot them [Thunder] out of it.”</p><p>Lou Williams evaluates the Game 1 performance by SGA in the NBA Finals 🗣️</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/RunItBackFDTV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RunItBackFDTV</a>)<br> <a href="https://t.co/WupoVe3Mru">pic.twitter.com/WupoVe3Mru</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1931226976838422938?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>In total, Gilgeous-Alexander took 30 shots during Game 1. No other player in Thursday’s game shot more than 19 times.</p><p>The ultra-aggressiveness that Williams said backfired actually worked well in the first half; the Thunder led by 12 at halftime after wreaking havoc on the Pacers’ offense <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-okc-sets-new-nba-finals-record-suffocating-defense-vs-pacers">by forcing 19 turnovers in the first 24 minutes</a>. The Thunder even held a nine-point lead going into the fourth quarter, but over the final 12 minutes, Indiana chipped away at Oklahoma City’s lead, culminating in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-downplays-tyrese-haliburton-crazy-game-winner">Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winning jump shot</a> with 0.3 seconds to go.</p><p>Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder will have a chance to tie the series up during Game 2, which will take place on Sunday, June 8 at 8 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lou Williams reveals who’s to blame for Thunder’s Game 1 collapse

De'Aaron Fox

Marc Gasol

Jamal Crawford

RJ Barrett

Lou Williams

Gordon Hayward

Alex Caruso

Josh Hart

Julius Randle

Nicolas Batum

3x Sixth Man

Philadelphia 76ers

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Toronto Raptors

Los Angeles Lakers

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Los Angeles Clippers

2 seasons

Career

1 season

4 seasons

https://twitter.com/TeamLou23/status/1636963156881965057/

https://twitter.com/TeamLou23/status/1630064388492214275/

If I’m Dolla I’m dropping a new record tonight 😂😂 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾

https://twitter.com/TeamLou23/status/1630034736729948166/

First coaching championship today. Lol 🤞🏾 

https://twitter.com/TeamLou23/status/1627148164359917568/

I was wrong about the dunk contest. Mac Mcclung 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

https://twitter.com/TeamLou23/status/1625921790500392960/

3 Point Contest should be last this year. That’s where the entertainment is. 🤷🏾‍♂️

https://twitter.com/TeamLou23/status/1623784495135485957/

So nobody liked their team, huh? 😂😂 Tf

https://twitter.com/TeamLou23/status/1623185993191854080/

https://twitter.com/TeamLou23/status/1615085200475652100/

Well Done to the 🐐 Maya Moore!!! On and off the court. True inspiration. #Nawfside

2021-22 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
6.3	1.6	1.9	0.1	0.5

2021-22 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
6.3	1.6	1.9	0.1	0.5

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Lou Williams reveals who’s to blame for Thunder’s Game 1 collapse

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