The Los Angeles Lakers have transitioned from LeBron James to new acquisition Luka Doncic as their face of the franchise, and that apparently has bothered James.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst wrote a story that was published on Friday detailing James’ feelings towards the Lakers. The theme of the article is that James feels slighted that the Lakers are now treating Doncic as their central figure rather than him.
James reportedly understands the transition, but has some frustration considering he chose to sign with the Lakers, while Doncic was acquired in a trade. Additionally, James helped the Lakers win a championship in the Bubble after the team had struggled through a period of six straight losing seasons.
The Lakers’ transition to Doncic as their central figure has been made clear through several events. For one, the Lakers did not approach James about a contract extension, indicating they are fine having the upcoming season be his last under contract with them. Two, they gave Doncic a heads-up about the ownership sale, rather than James. The Lakers also reportedly barely gave James advance notice that Anthony Davis was being traded, though he understood that given the sensitive nature of the topic.
James sparked a frenzy by saying he would need to do what gave him the best chance of winning a championship in his last NBA seasons. James has also been giving public hints about the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are his hometown team.
For now, James remains part of the Lakers, who finished tied for the third-best record in the West last season. But it’s clear he has his complaints.
