"Let him be cause he ain’t a bad guy" - LeBron James puts an end to his tussle with The Athletic's Bill Oram, urges LA Lakers fans to give him a pass
NBA and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has been the subject of many rumors leaked from the Lakers camp this season, with The Athletic's Bill Oram reporting on the unhappiness of "King James."
However, James soon took to Twitter to address the whole situation with regards to Bill Oram and the details being leaked from the Lakers camp this season.
"@billoram and I had a candid conversation after the game tonight and I know he has a job to do. I know what he wrote wasn’t truthful cause it never came from me. But I get it, SOURCES run this game. Nevertheless #LakerNation let him be cause he ain’t a bad guy." - wrote James
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@billoram and I had a candid conversation after the game tonight and I know he has a job to do. I know what he wrote wasn’t truthful cause it never came from me. But I get it, SOURCES run this game. Nevertheless #LakerNation let him be cause he ain’t a bad guy. 🙏🏾✊🏾👑
Bill Oram earlier in the month reported that tensions were high between the 18-time All-Star and the Lakers front office as they failed to get deals done on trade deadline day. According to Oram, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka did not improve the roster, much to James' frustration. James was also reportedly upset over the lack of on-court help he's been receiving all season long from his teammates.
Existing tension between the Lakers and LeBron James
With the campaign that the Los Angeles Lakers are currently enduring, there was bound to be tension between their superstar LeBron James and the team's management. Even more so considering James has been playing at an MVP caliber level and has received little to no help from his supporting cast.
James was the driving force behind why the Lakers moved for Russell Westbrook instead of Buddy Hield during the summer as James and Westbrook are close friends. But that move has failed tremendously this season, with the point guard yet to truly establish on-court chemistry with James.
LeBron James has his 500th career 30-point game. It's the 3rd most in NBA history behind only Wilt Chamberlain (515) and Michael Jordan (562). https://t.co/k4X2oD38pe
Anthony Davis and his frequent disappearance from the team due to one injury or another has also contributed to the Los Angeles Lakers' downfall, while adding to James' frustration. This, coupled with the performances of the rest of the roster, just adds fuel to the fire.
During the All-Star Weekend, rumors emerged of King James potentially wanting to move away from the Los Angeles Lakers in a search for championships as he believes the team isn't good enough for contention.
This narrative gained even more traction when Rob Pelinka failed to improve the roster ahead of the trade deadline. There have been constant rumors leaking from the Lakers camp of disgruntlement between Pelinka and James.
LeBron said he "doesn't care about draft picks, only winning championships, & so does Rob Pelinka that's why he traded for AD" https://t.co/jNzauYVkti
Either way, with the season panning out the way it is, the only solution might be to write this campaign off, shut down LeBron James for the rest of the season and hold a discussion on the future of the franchise and their superstar.