Jordan Clarkson reflects on LeBron James ahead of Knicks-Lakers matinee

Sunday at 9: 10 a. m. ET in Los Angeles, jordan clarkson opened up about what playing alongside LeBron James meant to him as the New York Knicks prepared to face the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto. com Arena. The timing is specific: the matinee brings them back onto the same floor again, but with Clarkson now largely outside New York’s rotation and James listed as questionable with a bruised left elbow.

The remarks arrived just hours before tipoff, when Clarkson’s role and James’ availability are both in focus. For Clarkson, the day doubles as a reunion with a former teammate from Cleveland and a reminder of his own shifting place in New York’s lineup.

Jordan Clarkson revisits the Cleveland season that shaped his view of LeBron James

In a conversation with Stefan Bondy, Clarkson described his time sharing a locker room with James during their Cleveland stint as a rare learning experience. Clarkson said it was “a dope experience, ” adding that he valued being able to “pick his brain” and observe James’ work habits, including film sessions.

Clarkson also pointed to that playoff stretch as a personal reference point for what he called “greatness” up close, highlighting specific memories from the run and what it felt like to be around James at that moment.

Clarkson and James were teammates during the 2017-18 season. Cleveland made a run to the NBA Finals in 2018 before losing to the Golden State Warriors, with Clarkson serving as a reserve during that Finals run.

Knicks-Lakers matinee shifts the spotlight to playing time and availability

Sunday’s New York-L. A. matchup brings the two together again under different circumstances than their Cleveland season. James is now with the Lakers and described as creeping toward retirement, while Clarkson has been out of the Knicks rotation and has spent much of his recent game time watching from the bench.

Clarkson’s first season in New York has been described as up-and-down, moving from a rotation piece early on to mostly observing from the sideline. With Jose Alvarado, Jeremy Sochan and OG Anunoby all taking up rotation minutes, Clarkson’s playing time has dropped significantly, and he has mostly appeared in garbage-time situations while averaging 8. 7 points on the season.

On the Lakers side, James is listed as questionable against the Knicks with a bruised left elbow. The listing adds another layer to the reunion element of the afternoon, since Clarkson could be facing a familiar opponent—or watching from the bench as a meeting is postponed again by circumstance.

The 2018 NBA Finals run still frames the reunion on Sunday

The connection between Clarkson and James traces back to the 2018 postseason, when the Cavaliers’ run ended with another defeat to the Warriors in the NBA Finals. That period remains a reference point for Clarkson’s appreciation for what he experienced as a teammate, even as his current situation in New York looks different from his role in Cleveland at the time.

Clarkson’s comments suggested that his view of those days has not faded, even with a reduced role now. Still, Sunday’s matchup places those memories against the present reality: a matinee in Los Angeles where Clarkson may again be on the bench, and where James’ status is not fully settled ahead of tipoff.

The next confirmed milestone is Sunday’s Knicks-Lakers tipoff later today in Los Angeles. If James is cleared to play despite the bruised left elbow, the reunion will move from reflection to live action on the court.