LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers saw their season come to a disappointing end with a first-round playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lakers had championship aspirations after winning 50 games and clinching the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, but now they will have plenty of time to think about what went wrong after going out in five games in the first round.
At the age of 40, a long offseason will certainly be beneficial for James, especially considering he spent last summer playing for Team USA in the Paris Olympics. Additionally, it was recently revealed that LeBron suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in the Lakers’ Game 5 loss to the Timberwolves and would not have been able to keep playing had the Lakers extended their season.
Because of that injury, which typically requires at least a month of recovery time, James announced that he will not be attending the 2025 Met Gala on Monday night:
Unfortunately because of my knee injury I sustained at the end of the season I won’t be able to attend the Met Gala in NY tonight as so many people have been asking and congratulating me on! Hate to miss an historical event! My beautiful powerful Queen will be there holding the…
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 5, 2025
James was previously named a co-chair for the 2025 Met Gala, so he has to be disappointed to not be able to attend the event even if it is for good reason. Of course, LeBron would prefer the Lakers’ season to still be going, but that is not the case.
LeBron has a lot of decisions to make this summer about his future with the Lakers and NBA, but it seems his first order of business is getting his knee back to 100% healthy so he can begin preparing for his 23rd season.
LeBron James praises JJ Redick for first season with Lakers
This was a whirlwind of a year for the Lakers and LeBron James gave praise to JJ Redick for how he handled everything in his first season as a head coach.
“I think JJ is going to continue to grow,” James said. “I thought he had a hell of a rookie campaign for a rookie coach. It’s a lot different being a rookie coach. It’s already hard being a rookie coach in the NBA. And it’s a hell of a lot harder being a rookie head coach coaching the Lakers. It’s a whole other ballgame. And I thought he handled it extremely well.
“I thought he just learned every single day. He held us accountable. He pushed us. I thought JJ and his coaching staff were great throughout the whole season. That was pretty cool. So that’s one thing for sure that you guys know for sure and that’s he is a great coach, an up-and-coming coach that will be great for many, many years.”
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!