One of the worst-kept secrets in the NBA is that LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are not exactly on the best of terms. The four-time MVP recently accepted his player option, but the circumstances surrounding the decision have proven controversial.
In a recent article published by ESPN, the reason for James' frustration with the Lakers was thoroughly revealed—and it's far from a one-issue subject.
The Lakers are in the midst of a sudden shift toward building around Luka Doncic rather than James. It's a decision that a vast majority of fans and analysts agree with based on the youth factor alone, but it also represents a journey into uncharted territory for a four-time NBA champion who has spent more than 20 seasons as a No. 1 player—or at least a co-star.
According to Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst of ESPN, James understands the Lakers' decision to shift toward building around a younger player, but grew frustrated with their method of doing so.
"James understood the Lakers taking advantage of an opportunity to pivot to the younger superstar. But from James' perspective, sources said, nuance was sometimes lost during the transition. Doncic had never asked to be a Laker. James, for his part, had chosen L.A., coming in 2018 when the team had missed the playoffs five consecutive seasons, the worst run for the franchise since it moved from Minneapolis. Two years later, James had helped deliver a 17th championship."
Shelburne and Windhorst clarify that James harbors no ill will toward Doncic, but was instead surprised by the path Los Angeles followed to its superstar reshuffling.
LeBron feels Lakers' transition to Luka Doncic lacked "nuance"
Based on Shelburne and Windhorst's report, it appears as though a breakdown in communication has spawned questions over loyalty. James joined the Lakers at a time when the franchise was experiencing failure at a rate it had previously been unfamiliar with.
Over the course of his seven seasons in Los Angeles, James has helped the franchise get back on track, winning its first championship in 10 years and making a second Western Conference Finals appearance.
Doncic, meanwhile, was as blindsided as anyone when he was traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers. It wasn't necessarily that he didn't want to play in Los Angeles, but more that he, like the rest of the NBA, never thought a trade was possible—and thus, conversations about a future in the purple and gold weren't necessary to explore.
Per Shelburne and Windhorst, Doncic wasn't the only one blindesided over the past five months. James' frustration includes the puzzling manner in which his player option was handled.
"Paul also had to formally inform the Lakers that James intended to pick up the final year of his contract after the team did not engage in any substantial discussions about extending him by a year or two, sources said, as they had twice previously during James' Lakers' tenure."
With the Lakers' intentions revealed through actions without words, James has inevitably begun to question what his future looks like in Los Angeles.
Lakers' lack of communication has fueled LeBron's distress
What's admittedly been lost in this saga is that the Lakers made it abundantly clear that they plan to transition away from featuring James as the franchise player before the 2024-25 season. Head coach JJ Redick publicly stated that Anthony Davis would become the new hub of the offense.
Prior to the Doncic trade, that was playing out before our very eyes, with Davis leading Los Angeles in points per game and usage rate while still anchoring the defense.
As such, when the Lakers traded Davis for Doncic, it wasn't a sudden shift toward a franchise player who wasn't James. That change was made before the 2024-25 season, meaning the actual transition was from Davis to Doncic.
In saying that, James' seven-year tenure with the franchise was significant and fruitful enough to where the superstar may have wanted to be consulted.
Instead, the Lakers are now engaging in a public fallout with a player who will play a significant role in their championship ambitions in 2025-26—if he's still on the roster. Los Angeles and James must now seriously consider if it's worth spending another season together, especially if a future beyond this coming campaign will be spent apart.
Everyone will have an opinion on who's right and who's wrong in this situation, but the bottom line is that damage has been done to the relationship between James and the Lakers.