Well, it turns out things weren't going as well behind the scenes as they seemed between the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James during the team's hot run in March. As Dave McMenamin of ESPN wrote on Wednesday, following the team's 127-113 win over the Cavaliers on March 31, Rob Pelinka's decision to give the game ball to JJ Redick didn't sit well with the 41-year-old superstar.
And so -- without even stopping to change clothes -- James marched off into the L.A. night, simmering from another perceived indignation delivered by the organization that, as one source close to him told ESPN, tried to "push him out the door," after acquiring Doncic last season.
McMenamin added that LeBron's willingness to be the No. 3 option behind Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, which worked greatly in the Lakers' favor, added to his "ire" about the situation.
Pelinka could've given the ball to LeBron, who picked up the 1,229th win of his career, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most wins for any player in the regular season and playoffs. He also could've given it to Luka Dončić, who hit 15,000 career points, or Rui Hachimura, who notched 5,000 career points.
He chose Redick, who had just picked up the 100th win in his coaching career.
Will LeBron re-sign with the Lakers if he keeps playing?
LeBron felt slighted by the Lakers, and it wasn't the first time that happened. The build-up of how things changed over the past 14 months, from it being all about him to Dončić, had to have played a role in James' reaction.
Now, he's pondering his future, and whether he'll return for a 24th season, and if so, whether it will be with Los Angeles, which wants him back. Reading the above paragraph, you might think that it doesn't seem like he'd want to stay with the Lakers, but as McMenamin also included in his piece, a "source close to James" said, "I think it's up to the Lakers. He loves it in L.A."
There are a few important things that Los Angeles has going for it, with the fact that it's where his family calls home sitting at the top of the list. Bronny is also still a Laker, and that counts for a lot. LA is where LeBron wants to stay with his family, specifically in Beverly Hills, the home of his future estate that is under construction.
James said after Monday's season-ending loss that there was "no static" between him and the organization, and maybe that's true now. Obviously, though, those hurt feelings can easily resurface, and maybe they will this summer if LeBron decides he wants to keep playing, and his camp discusses his next contract with the Lakers. He might not like what they offer.
Would that be enough to push him in a direction outside of LA? We'll have to see. It might not take much for that static to resurface. Maybe if Los Angeles isn't where LeBron and his family had put down roots, he'd go elsewhere. That doesn't mean he still won't, though, especially if a game ball caused him to have the reaction he did just a few weeks ago.
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