It seems that LeBron James found out about the sale of the Lakers at the same time as the rest of us.
What’s the relationship like between the Lakers and LeBron James?
There is a lot of evidence that it’s good. LeBron has been a Laker for seven years, has won a title in Los Angeles and just opted into his player option for the 2025-26 season.
However, James’ opt-in came with some confusing comments from his agent, Rich Paul. There was talk about LeBron wanting to win now compared to preparing for the future. This led to people speculating that perhaps James will ask for a trade at a later date.
Paul made it clear LeBron is not requesting a trade and did his best to quiet that noise.
From the Lakers’ perspective, they aren’t attempting something ridiculous like the Golden State Warriors’ two timelines idea, but given that Luka Dončić is 26 years old and LeBron is 40, it’s clear who the franchise is hoping will be in a purple and gold uniform for years to come.
While we haven’t seen any visible actions from the organizations of preferential treatment for one star over the other before, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN may have found an example of how the Lakers’ priorities are shifting from the LeBron era to the age of Luka.
In an ESPN article, Shelburne reported that Luka was told about the sale of the Lakers, while LeBron found out when everyone else did.
When the Buss family agreed to sell a majority stake in the franchise to Mark Walter on June 18, Doncic was given a heads-up and notably posted a congratulations on social media afterward. James was not given the same notice and did not post any public acknowledgement afterward.
It’s worth noting that LeBron has yet to discuss this topic. He’s enjoying his summer, so perhaps he will have a different tale to tell when he speaks about all things Lakers and basketball during training camp.
If Shelburne is right, it is an indication that he isn’t in the know about what is happening with the Lakers as he once was. Telling Luka ahead of time was a nice gesture. LeBron should’ve been given that same courtesy.
Not letting LeBron know about the sale sure seems like a petty action.
However, given that LeBron is the greatest of all time when it comes to passive-aggressive moves, it’s hard to even play the world’s smallest violin for James.
Lakers fans shouldn’t forget about his LeCryptic tweets, his comments during All-Star weekend in Cleveland back in 2022, or even last week when he wore a “homecoming” hat while vacationing in Ohio.
There has been plenty of sizzle, but no steak when it comes to LeBron leaving Los Angeles for essentially his entire time as a Laker.
Ultimately, LeBron has had plenty of chances to leave the Lakers, including this summer and each time he has chosen Los Angeles.
So take this story for what it is, a small dot in the impressionist painting that is the will LeBron leave Los Angeles due to the situation story arc.
The good money is on LeBron being a Laker next season, and fans will be looking back and laughing at how many of the molehills they turned into mountains when it came to LeBron leaving the Lakers for another team.
Or maybe this time will be different.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.