All ESPN wanted was to feature Luka Doncic’s first-ever game in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform. Instead, the broadcasting giant may end up with Bronny James on their proverbial marquee.
Lakers fans around the world have been waiting patiently to catch Doncic’s debut in purple and gold. There had been speculation that he could suit up for LA’s home contest Saturday against the Indiana Pacers at Crypto.com Arena.
In what seemed like a response to the Doncic news, ESPN flexed out a Phoenix Suns-Utah Jazz contest to make way for the Lakers-Pacers game.
The Lakers-Pacers contest is slated to tip off at 1 p.m. ET, which overlaps with ESPN’s scheduled airing of Duke-Clemson two hours later. The “Worldwide Leader” pushed the college basketball game 30 minutes to make way for the Lakers contest.
But the Lakers decided to keep Doncic out for at least one more game. The Slovenian superstar is now expected to debut on Monday against the Jazz. The contest will not be shown on any major networks.
ESPN just got rugged by the NBA so bad.
Here's what happened:1) Tomorrow's game between the Lakers and Pacers tips at 1 PM PT.
2) This was originally believed to be Luka's Lakers debut day.
3) Because of this, ESPN flexed out Friday's Jazz/Suns game to pick up the Saturday game… https://t.co/m6OGGmRJex— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) February 8, 2025
To make matters worse for ESPN, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and even new center acquisition Mark Williams are all listed as questionable for the Pacers game.
Lakers' injury report vs. Indiana tomorrow:
— Luka Doncic is out
— Mark Williams (trade pending) is questionable
— LeBron James (left ankle soreness) and Austin Reaves (left elbow contusion) are also questionable pic.twitter.com/OPWbhfts5b— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) February 8, 2025
The Lakers don’t have an obligation to play Doncic just to benefit ESPN when they don’t think he’s ready to play. Doncic has yet to take the court since injuring his calf on Christmas Day.
The biggest losers would be the fans left to watch the Lakers’ bench unit in a nationally televised matchup.
