Los Angeles Lakers
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Written By D.L. Chandler , Senior Editor Posted 47 mins ago @dlchandler123 D.L. Chandler is a veteran of the Washington D.C. metro writing scene, working as a journalist, reporter, and culture critic. Initially freelancing at iOne Digital in 2010, he officially joined the iOne team in 2017 where he currently works as a Senior Editor […]
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In an interview, NBA superstar LeBron James expressed his disappointment over the Los Angeles Lakers not being able to trade for Kyrie Irving.
For LeBron James, the chance to team up once again with his former teammate Kyrie Irving on the Los Angeles Lakers has been a desire since the offseason. It seemed more possible as the team made an offer when Irving requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets last Friday (Feb. 3rd), but the Nets ultimately traded him to the Dallas Mavericks with the deal becoming official on Monday (Feb. 6th). James would soon write on Twitter cryptically, “Maybe it’s me” as word of the deal went public.
Sitting down for an interview with reporter Michael Wilbon for the NBA on ESPN, James was candid. “I can’t sit here and say I’m not disappointed on not being able to land such a talent,” James said. “Someone I had great chemistry with, I know I got great chemistry with on the floor, that can help you win championships in my mind, in my eyes. But my focus has shifted now, my focus has shifted back to where it should be and that’s this club now, and what we have now.”
Wilbon responded with surprise, “That’s a quick pivot LeBron.” The four-time league MVP agreed, saying “I don’t get too excited about the possibilities of things that can be. I kind of envision myself on what it can, but I don’t invest it all the way into it until I know it’s happening and when it does not happen, I’m back locked in on the job at hand. James and Irving were teammates on the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014 to 2017, reaching the Finals in all three years and winning the franchise’s only title over the Golden State Warriors in 2016.
James is on the verge of breaking the all-time scoring record, held by former Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The current Lakers team, however, has been the source of constant discussion as they sit at 13th in the Western Conference despite another tremendous All-Star season from the 38-year-old forward. James has reportedly been pushing the team’s front office to make moves to improve the roster to make the playoffs as center Anthony Davis has struggled with injuries and Russell Westbrook has been shifted to a role off the bench.
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Los Angeles Lakers fans saw their team scrap their way back in a Thursday night game (Jan. 12) against the Dallas Mavericks and force the contest to go into overtime. The Lakers, most especially team captain LeBron James, believe that the referees missed a foul call against one of its team members that could’ve won the game.
The Los Angeles Lakers fell to 19-23 in the contest against the 24-19 Dallas Mavericks but showed exceptional grit despite a poor shooting night for James. The squad was without talented big man Anthony Davis but backup center Thomas Bryant, a former Washington Wizards player, has proven to be a useful asset. Russell Westbrook has also found a bit of a rhythm and before Davis went down with an injury, the Lakers looked to be surging.
Of concern was a three-point shot taken by former Wizards player Troy Brown Jr. at the end of regulation that would’ve won the game. On the closeout, Tim Hardaway Jr. seemingly bothered the shot but Brown didn’t openly criticize the referees and opted instead to state that the call was not in his hands. However, James offered a counter blanketed with plenty of profanity.
“No, it’s a f*cking foul,” James said, as reported by ESPN. “It’s a foul. No matter what he [Brown] says, it’s a f*cking foul. That sh*t is blatant, and they should have called it.”
Laker coach Darvin Ham also took the high road during his time at the podium, falling short of critiquing the referees and their call.
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Photo: Kevork Djansezian / Getty