There are some thoughts among the public that LeBron James could have some kind of ulterior motive behind his recent announcement that he'll [miss the start of the season](https://lakeshowlife.com/lebron-early-absence-will-shockingly-benefit-lakers). However, Los Angeles Lakers reporter for The Athletic's Jovan Buha recently spoke out to refute such claims.
The basis for the line of thinking among skeptics to the officially story for LeBron's injury seems to revolve around him potentially being unhappy he was not offered a contract extension or something to that effect, and that he might be choosing to miss some time to begin the year as a resulting action. That idea probably already seems ludicrous to many, and Buha affirms his belief that those who see it this way are misguided.
On his show, _Buha's Block_, the Lakers reporter reminded everyone just how much LeBron loves the game of basketball. He noted James' remarkable track record of having gone through an entire 20-plus year career without a major, career-altering injury to his name, and expressed his belief that James takes too much pride in his work to go and pull some sort of stunt like exaggerating an injury like this. My take is that he's right on track with this.
There's probably no ulterior motive to James' injury status
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Listen, you can love LeBron or hate him. But at the end of the day, no matter your opinion of him as a basketball player, it's very hard to deny his love for this game. James has dedicated over half his life to the sport, and I think he values his image and the thousands upon thousands in the younger generation that he has influenced to go and tarnish his legacy over something so petty as this.
No one would deny that LeBron can indeed be a bit dramatic at times. Just look at his viral "The Decision Part Two" post this past week that turned out to be a Hennessy advertisement. But all things considered, as annoying as that may have been, it was still harmless in the end. James enjoys pulling a leg here and there, but not in a way that would be genuinely detrimental to his organization or his career.
I see Buha's analysis as spot on in this instance. LeBron was already exhibiting symptoms of sciatica and missing court time long before his announcement that he would miss the start of the season a few days ago. This is clearly a real injury issue that he's going to do his best to work through in order [to be back on the court](https://lakeshowlife.com/espn-reporter-says-quiet-part-out-loud-lebron-injury-timeline) as soon as possible. If you want my opinion, it's pretty clear that James is not exaggerating anything when it comes to this situation.