Despite LeBron James’ decision to opt out of Preseason opener, NBA world’s attention was locked in on the game. One of the reasons being Stephen Curry and Chris Paul’s first outing as teammates in the history of the league. Apart from this, the Los Angeles Lakers fans had something more to look into the game. 20 year-old Max Christie left the LA fans on their feet with his uncanny resemblance with Kobe Bryant. Apart from his stark appearance, he also impressed them with his performance.

The Lakers front office roped in Christie during the 2022 NBA draft as 35th pick in round 2. He also played 41 games in his rookie season with an average game time of 12.5 minutes on the court. Unfortunately, he faced a lot of criticism for getting picked in the league prematurely. On the other hand, some fans expressed their discomfort for his facial resemblance with Mamba. However, a year into the league, he changed a lot during the preseason game against the Golden State Warriors.

Kobe Bryant lookalike locks in during LeBron James’ absence

The Warriors looked in great shape right from the word go. Not to blame the Lakers as they played without LeBron James and Austin Reaves. The Splash Brothers were back to their usual business. However, the LA side on the other end, didn’t give up easily. The young blood alongside Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell showed grit. Especially 20-year-old Max Christie.

The Mamba lookalike came off the bench and dropped 15 points with 2 rebounds and an assist. Notably, he equaled the team highest scorers of the game. As he announced his entry into the game with his performance, fans and pundits took to social media to praise the rising star. Kevin O’Connor, a popular NBA podcast host tweeted, “Big year upcoming for Max Christie,” before the end of first half.

On the other hand, Mike Trudell, a beat reporter tweeted that the rising star has added 15 pounds to his muscles since his draft. He also added, “looks very comfortable on the floor.”

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The fans who took a dig at him last year, heaped praise in the preseason opener.

Fans heap praise for Max Christie

In response to O’Connor’s tweets, fans joined him to heap praise. One user said, “The next one,” keeping his faith in Christie as the future of the Lakers. Here are some more reactions from fans.

Apart from Christie, 21-year-old Jonathan Kuminga showcased his domination throughout the game. He led the Dubs’ offense with 24 points and 8 rebounds.

The Warriors finished the game with a 108-125 victory, starting off their campaign on a high.

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In the absence of the big players, b0th teams seemed to have much improved youngsters to take care of several minutes on the court.