LeBron James missed out on playoff basketball for the fourth time in his career after a nightmare season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
James didn’t make the postseason in his first two NBA campaigns, finishing ninth with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference in both 2003-04 and 2004-05. The former No. 1 pick then went on a run of 13 consecutive years in the playoffs before having a long offseason again — following his signing with the Lakers.
James and L.A. ended up in the draft lottery part of the standings in 2018-19 and 2021-22, with the lean years sandwiching the 2019-20 NBA championship and a first-round playoff exit the following season. But despite his well-documented competitiveness, the forward has shown he can distance himself from on-court disappointment and even crack a joke about it.
James joined Kyle Kuzma — who also failed to qualify for the playoffs in his debut season with the Washington Wizards — in poking fun at the two players’ absence in the race for the 2022 title. The two 2020 champions laughed at a Twitter meme that likened them to the retired Manning brothers, who have been commenting on football games as part of the famous Manningcast on ESPN since September 2021:
???????? I mean that show would be insane though!
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 18, 2022
Interestingly, James then hinted at the possibility of partaking in a Mannincast-like production with Kuzma in the future:
Say less! ?
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 18, 2022
The idea of James running an NBA show when he retires isn’t too far-fetched considering the many film & TV ventures of the four-time NBA champion. The Lakers forward and his digital media business, Uninterrupted, just recently launched the fifth season of “The Shop” series, streaming exclusively on YouTube.
Anthony Davis wants to meet up with James to ‘get back to championship pedigree’
Before James can sit behind the microphone on a full-time basis, he will attempt to win another championship for the Lakers, as the 37-year-old recently said his hunger for title glory isn’t fully sated.
Anthony Davis seems to be on board with James’ plans. Davis said he wants to meet with the fellow Lakers star in the summer to “get back to that championship pedigree that us as players know we’re capable of.”
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