Report: Lakers were bothered by Doc Rivers’ comments on LeBron James

Doc Rivers took a humorous dig a few months ago at the Los Angeles Lakers over the team’s handling of LeBron James, but apparently the rival team did not find the remarks so funny.

Back on December 17, Rivers was talking about the Clippers’ philosophy on load management. He said of the Lakers’ philosophy that it was probably “whatever LeBron says it is.”

While possibly accurate, that joke didn’t sit well with the Lakers, according to a story from The Athletic’s Jovan Buha and Sam Amick.

The two wrote in a story: “The irony was not lost on the Lakers, who sources say weren’t happy with the comment, in part, because of the perceived hypocrisy regarding the Clippers’ style with Leonard.”

It’s true; both teams are somewhat at the mercy of their respective superstars. Both teams were grateful that their stars chose them and don’t have a ton of leverage. Of course, both Kawhi and LeBron want to win championships, which in the end makes their goals aligned with their teams’ goals. But that does not mean everything will always be smooth. The same report even says the superstar treatment has bothered some Clippers players.