Los Angeles Lakers legend Michael Cooper isn’t too happy about LeBron James eating on the bench during their preseason game against the Golden State Warriors.

“I didn’t like that,” Cooper said on The Showtime Podcast. “I didn’t like that. Again, he’s LeBron James, but still, you got to have respect for the game, man he’s sitting over there. I don’t mind the guy eating, but go eat in the locker room, and then when you come out and be part of the team, not just sit at the end of the bench eating.”

He was only going to play in the first half, so James went into ultra-chill mode in the second, as he came out wearing street clothes and started eating. While some had issues with him changing clothes, Cooper didn’t mind that.

“I don’t mind that,” Cooper said. “It’s the eating part for me. No, he understood, he wasn’t gonna play, so let’s get changed. And that happened with us several times.”

(starts at 15:57 mark):

I don’t think it was really all that big of a deal for him to eat on the bench. It’s just a preseason game, and we have seen players in the past eat on the sidelines as well. Just because LeBron was the one doing it here, it gets blown out of proportion, as is always the case.

James does tend to live by his own rules when he’s on the sidelines, though. Back during the 2021 NBA Finals, he even got a bottle of tequila to the game.

James scoffed at the notion that the NBA had allowed him to bring it. He knows he can get away with things that most others might not be able to, because of who he is and takes full advantage of it.

Darvin Ham Said LeBron James And Anthony Davis Are The Most Hungry Players On The Team

While LeBron was probably just hungry for some food on that night, he is quite hungry for success on the court too. His head coach Darvin Ham hailed James and co-star Anthony Davis as the most hungry players on the Lakers.

“Just his hunger, he and Bron both,” Ham said when asked if he’s noticed any differences in Davis during training camp. “Our two captains are the most hungry. They understand the moment. They not worried about what happened last year or what next year is gonna look like. They’ve submerged themselves into today, and that’s the way you have to be, especially in this business. It’s a marathon. But they’re hungry as ever. They’re intense. We have our fair share of fun for sure, but there’s not a lot of fooling around or goofing off with this group. They’ve set a great tone for everybody being serious about the work that needs to be put in.”

That hunger for success has always been the same for James, who just averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game last season. It’s what helps the 38-year-old keep going in what will be his 21st season in the league in 2023-24.

He has gotten his teammates locked in as well, as they look to go a couple of steps further than they did in 2022-23.