Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James’ season was one of firsts for the legendary forward. He was playing on an expiring contract for really the first time in his career, and then he missed Opening Night and the first 14 games due to injury for the first time.
As the season went on, James also willingly took on a role as the third option behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, another thing he had never previously done. And according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, there was one night where James felt Rob Pelinka and the Lakers were taking him for granted despite everything he had sacrificed:
The win was the 1,229th of James’ career and moved him past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most victories by any player in NBA history (combined regular season and playoffs). Not to mention, it came on a night when Luka Doncic topped 15,000 career points and Rui Hachimura reached 5,000.
Still, James’ celebratory mood didn’t last long.
Lakers coach JJ Redick had announced all the individual accomplishments in the postgame locker room, eliciting a cascading round of applause by L.A. players and assistant coaches.
And then Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ president of basketball operations and general manager, addressed the team. He had the game ball in his hands.
Rather than hand it to Hachimura or Doncic or James, Pelinka walked to the front of the room and presented the ball to Redick, who had just presided over his 100th coaching win.
James has a “great” relationship with Redick, sources close to him say — with one telling ESPN that Redick’s hiring is “one thing the Lakers got right.”
But James, who played the past eight seasons in Los Angeles and helped deliver the franchise its 17th championship in 2020, saw Pelinka’s priority in that moment as yet another example of the Lakers taking him for granted, sources said.
Adding to James’ ire, sources said, was the fact that the past dozen or so wins in that stretch came with James willingly taking a supporting offensive role behind Doncic and Austin Reaves.
There has seemingly been a bit of a cold war going on between James and the Lakers for the last couple of years. Despite that though, there reportedly is mutual interest in him returning to the team for at least one more season.
When James willingly accepted his role as the team’s third option, they had a 16-2 stretch where they looked like one of the best teams in the league with Doncic playing at an MVP level. While injuries ultimately put an end to that, there certainly is reason for optimism that they could compete next season if James returns and they make some other roster upgrades.
There are a lot of dominoes to fall this offseason for the Lakers, and what happens with James seems to be the biggest one.
LeBron James noncommittal about future
To no surprise, James was noncommittal about his future plans after the Lakers’ season came to an end.
“With my future, I don’t know. Obviously, we’re still fresh from losing. I don’t know what the future holds for me as it stands right now tonight,” James said. “I think I said it last year after we lost to Minnesota, I’ve got to go back and recalibrate with my family, talk with them, spend some time with them, and when the time comes, you guys will know what I decide to do.”
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