Former LeBron James teammate Matthew Dellavedova makes moving gesture after Melbourne United’s NBL Finals loss

LeBron James' former teammate Matthew Dellavedova has been making waves around the basetball community for his recent gesture.

Former LeBron James teammate Matthew Dellavedova makes moving gesture after Melbourne United’s NBL Finals loss

LeBron James and Matthew Dellavedova

The Illawarra Hawks defeated Melbourne United in a thrilling five-game match to win the 2024–25 NBL Championship on Sunday. None of the players in red received the Finals MVP award, which went to Melbourne’s Matthew Dellavedova, despite ending a two-decade title drought. The same Dellavedova that played alongside LeBron James for the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2015-16.

Dellavedova has been making the headlines lately as he won the hearts of thousands of fans worldwide. When the Illawarra guard, Will Hickey iced the game-five victory against Melbourne United, Matthew Dellavedova kindly gave his NBL championship series MVP trophy to him. This gesture has gone viral among the NBA community.

Davo, this really belongs to you.

Matthew Dellavedova magnanimously said

On the other hand, For the first time in twenty-four years, the Illawarra Hawks have returned to the top of the hill as the NBL champions. After defeating Melbourne United 114-104 on their home court in a winner-take-all game five at the WIN Sports & Entertainment Centre on Sunday, the Hawks will celebrate like it’s 2001.

It will go down in history as Will Hickey’s breakthrough series as a young Hawk. The 25-year-old returned to exact revenge on the team that initially developed him. With 21 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists in a commanding outing, Hickey was outstanding. Hickey was a mouse in the house who consistently went unnoticed under the hoop and claimed five offensive boards.

LeBron James’ return makes no impact on Lakers’ recent matchup against Bulls

LeBron James appeared rested and prepared to guide the Los Angeles Lakers in the last stretch of the postseason after missing two weeks due to injury on Saturday night. The Chicago Bulls were James’ opponent, but things did not go as planned. After missing the Lakers’ previous seven games due to a strained left groin, James scored 17 points, but the all-time leading scorer in NBA history appeared rusty at times.

James’ comeback, however, was only one aspect of the Lakers’ dreadfully bad performance, which cost them their second consecutive defeat. The Lakers couldn’t compete with the motivated Bulls even with the concurrent return of starting forward Rui Hachimura, who had missed 12 games due to a knee injury.

James, 40, remains optimistic that the Lakers will discover their greatest self. Before James’ injury, they had won eight straight games, and they had a three-game victory streak earlier during the week before he returned. So James will be optimistic to have a good run of form in their upcoming NBA matches.

Lakers HC JJ Redick eyeing Top 6 seed this season

A week’s break during the play-in process is beneficial for all clubs headed to the playoffs. But given James’ age, the Lakers may be among the few who require the most rest. The Lakers would greatly benefit from the week off between the last regular season game and the opening playoff game. In addition, JJ Redick opened up on his plans to finish in the top 6 seed.

I think that’s a good way to look at it. … ground zero. These next 12 games, you’ve got to refind your way. It’s a perpetually flowing river that we’ve all of a sudden run into a beaver’s (dam) … and we got to get ready to get the water flowing again.

JJ Redick said
YouTube video

The Lakers need to treat every opponent with respect in their reaming games. They don’t have the most straightforward schedule left, and there might occasionally be a trap game. LA travels to Orlando, Chicago, Memphis, and Indiana for four games.

They then play back-to-back games against Oklahoma City, Dallas, Houston, and Portland to wrap things out. Given the possibility of a future playoff encounter, the two matches against the Thunder stand out right away. Given that, the Lakers will first have to overcome these matches to guarantee a top-seed finish this season.