LeBron James left Crypto.com Arena on March 31 with ice bags on both knees after a 127-113 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers that moved him past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most wins by any player in NBA history, according to ESPN. The celebration in the locker room took a different turn when Lakers president Rob Pelinka presented the game ball to coach JJ Redick for his 100th coaching win, a moment that, per the report, James saw as another example of the franchise taking him for granted.
The report says James maintains a “great” relationship with Redick, with sources calling the hiring “one thing the Lakers got right.” Still, the same sources told ESPN that James was irked by organizational priorities. Those feelings were compounded by the fact that James had spent the previous stretch willingly taking a supporting offensive role behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, a nearly unprecedented posture for a player of his stature who was nevertheless named to the All-Star team in his 23rd season, the report notes.
Two days after the Cleveland game, the Lakers endured a lopsided loss in Oklahoma City in which Reaves strained his left oblique and Doncic strained his left hamstring, per the report. With the roster suddenly depleted and less than two weeks remaining in the regular season, the only realistic path for the Lakers, the report says, was for James to resume a ball-dominant role the franchise had de-emphasized after acquiring Doncic.
According to ESPN, James responded by leading the Lakers to three straight regular-season wins to close the campaign, earning the No. 4 seed and a first-round matchup with the Houston Rockets. With Doncic out for the entire postseason and Reaves sidelined until Game 5, the report says James carried a massively undermanned team past the Rockets in six games. “LeBron was the last man standing,” a source close to James told ESPN.
The Lakers’ season ended in a sweep at the hands of the No. 1-seeded Thunder. The report adds that James was the only player in the league to total at least 300 points, 75 rebounds and 100 assists since April 5. That performance underscored what the report calls an awkward reality: both James and the Lakers may need each other more than either side might admit. The report also notes that acquiring Doncic was a massive coup that introduced potential pitfalls for the roster.
