On Monday night, LeBron James played his first game with Luka Doncic -- and his pregame words for his new superstar teammate bore a striking resemblance to a prior message to a previous co-star.
As the Los Angeles Lakers gathered in a pregame huddle, James' directive to Doncic was a simple one: "don't fit in, fit the f--- out."
"Luka, be your f---ing self. Don't fit in, fit the f--- out."
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 11, 2025
-LeBron to Luka 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/qj8Tbk8M8R
NBA fans with long memories likely recognized the phrase, and for good reason. Just over ten years ago to the day on Monday, James put out a tweet musing that an unidentified person should "stop trying to find a way to FIT-OUT and just FIT-IN."
Stop trying to find a way to FIT-OUT and just FIT-IN. Be apart of something special! Just my thoughts
— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 8, 2015
James confirmed the next day that the tweet had been in reference to his then-Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Kevin Love. Love, who had referenced the term "fit out" prior to the season, had made comments about his role on the team earlier in the week.
Love himself noticed the similarities -- jokingly posting on Instagram hours after the Lakers game ended that he was "punching the air right now" in reference to James' changed messaging.