PSG star Kylian Mbappe, who is a fan of NBA team LA Lakers, hopes LeBron James's side can win the NBA championship ring next year.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Kylian Mbappe, who recently signed a three-year contract extension with the Ligue 1 champions, was photographed at the NBA draft ahead of one of the biggest nights in the sport's calendar.
The Frenchman, who stated he was an LA Lakers fan at the event, was photographed at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York, after being videoed honing his craft on an arcade-style hoop machine.
The 23-year-old, who snubbed Real Madrid to stay at PSG, joined basketball royalty at the Barclays Centre in attending the glamorous gala in which some of the sport's most talented young players finally see their dreams realised.
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Posting footage of himself shooting some hoops on Instagram, Mbappe captioned the clip 'Ready for the NBA draft'. One of the Frenchman's club teammates, Eric Ebimbe, joked in a reply that the forward would be the first pick.
At the event, Mbappe told Sportscentre, "My NBA team? The Lakers. I think they will change a lot of things. I hope they get the ring next year."
Mbappé talks about his hopes for the Lakers on the NBA Draft red carpet 👀 pic.twitter.com/gDuBc5i9Oe
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter)It is not the first time that the sensational French forward has been spotted rubbing shoulders with the great and the good from the basketball world, with the PSG star having previously been photographed alongside Lebron James. Mbappe and James linked up in 2018 while the basketball superstar was on his 'More Than An Athlete' world tour.
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Several fans of the PSG star took to Twitter to express their excitement over Mbappe's love for basketball and the LA Lakers. Here's a look at some of the reactions:
Can’t believe Mbappe is a lakers fan🥹💜💛 he knows who the real nba team is the lakeshow 🤩 https://t.co/mr1VOrNTON
— Jared (@ja_rd5)On the NBA Draft red carpet, Mbappé tells me that he’s still a Lakers fan, but Kevin Durant is his second favorite player in the NBA (LeBron No. 1). https://t.co/g4tMY6UA61
— Alec Sturm (@Alec_Sturm)Just found out that Kylian Mbappé’s favorite NBA team is my Los Angeles Lakers, I knew I liked this guy 🔴🔵 + 🟣🟡 pic.twitter.com/LV0d9xg8pK
— PSG Club Boise (@psg_boise)Lakers selecting him with the 61st pick
— Jerome J. Duncan ⚡️ (@jrxmey)He owns PSG and the Lakers
— Yasuke (@Yasuke1886)Kylian Mbappé: "What brings me to the NBA draft? To be honest I came here to think about my future, yes I just signed for PSG but you never know. If an NBA team offers me 100% image rights and more money I might consider switching sports, I've been a LeBron fan all my life" pic.twitter.com/iKXjrYUq7m
— Noodle Vini (@vini_ball)Kylian Mbappe with the buckets! 🤝🔥
The PSG forward was spotted at the NBA draft last night 🏀 pic.twitter.com/WY7mYLUxc0
Loooool this looks like a multiverse of what would’ve happened if neither PSG or Madrid agreed to a contract and Mbappe said fuck it I’m taking my talents to the NBA. https://t.co/H29XtzGiJ9
— Helter Skelter 🏴☠️ (@FuadCadani)