NBA

Audio leak allegedly shows Rockets coach Ime Udoka called LeBron James a ‘soft-a** boy’

Antonio Kozlow Sports Editor

Updated05 Dec 2023

Disclosure

We independently review everything we recommend based on our strict editorial guidelines. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn More

By now, everyone’s heard of the on-court beef between Ime Udoka and LeBron James from last Saturday night, in the purple and gold’s 107-97 win against Houston. However, did you know what was actually said between them during the fiery exchange?

A new video has gone viral after it showed the apparent lip-reading supported by an audio of their discussion, which claims that the Rockets coach first called the Lakers “b*tches,” as the all-time NBA scoring leader wasn’t having any of it.

The four-time champion reacted and confronted the opponent’s trainer as referee J.T. Orr witnessed from up close, eventually handing out two technical fouls with 8:35 remaining for the final buzzer, with the scoreboard 93-77.

LEAKED Audio Of Ime Udoka Trash Talking LeBron James👀:

Udoka: “Stop crying like b*tches, man”

LeBron: “We’re all grown men, that b*tch word ain’t cool”

Udoka: “Soft a** boy, stop b*tching. Acting like you’re gonna do something” pic.twitter.com/tmcFFsxpUu

— LegendZ (@legendz_nba) December 3, 2023

This resulted in Udoka’s ejection from the game, as he had already been assessed a technical foul earlier in the match. There 46-year-old then shouted: “Stop crying like b*tches, man,” according to the audio leaked of the exchange at Los Angeles’ Crypto.Com Arena.

Even though the video is yet to be confirmed as a legitimate depiction of what actually happened between them, it certainly seems as if it did.

“We’re all grown men, that b–ch word ain’t cool,” James answered, to what Udoka responded: “Soft ass boy, stop b–ching. Acting like you’re gonna do something.”

Once the game was over, the press were all over both of them, desperately trying to figure out what truly happened that ended up in the coach’s ejection from the contest. “We had some conversation and [they] didn’t like what they heard,” Udoka shared.

As for LeBron, he got funny with it, claiming they were both just talking about the recent holidays. “Thanksgiving … how much we enjoyed Thanksgiving,” the 38-year-old joked when asked about what the exchange was about.

The L.A. superstar ended the game with only 16 points, but added 7 assists and 4 rebounds to contribute to the Lakers 12-9 mark on the campaign. The player is listed as questionable for this Tuesday’s game, as the purple and gold will host the Phoenix suns for the In-Season Tournament’s quarterfinals.

Dillon Brooks blamed the referees for not stopping the exchange between LeBron and Udoka and letting it happen in front of their eyes

Even though both James and Udoka decided to keep the specifics of what happened to themselves after the game, Houston’s Dillon Brooks decided to blame the NBA officials during Monday’s training session.

The referee crew was made up of Tre Maddox, Dedric Taylor and J.T. Orr, this last one being the closest to the exchange and the one who handed out the double technicals. The Rockets forward believes he practically let it happen.

“I tried to push LeBron out [of] the way from it, but the refs just let it get out of hand,” Brooks expressed. “A terrible group out there that was reffing, and they lost control of the game. It’s very inconsistent. That’s what you get from inconsistent refs, a whole bunch of nonsense.”

The veteran athlete then showed some appreciation for his coach, who in a way tried to defend his players by not caving into the Lakers’s game. Brooks explained why what happened doesn’t come as a surprise to him, as Udoka is working hard to improve the team’s collective defense and culture.

“He wasn’t backing down to anybody,” he said of the new Houston coach. “He played the game before. We’re still finding our identity as a team and with our coach standing up for us, it’s a big thing.”