Clicky

  • Login
  • Register
  • Submit Your Content
  • Contact Us
Friday, August 1, 2025
World Tribune
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Sports
  • Health
  • Food
Submit
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Sports
  • Health
  • Food
No Result
View All Result
World Tribune
No Result
View All Result

Luka Doncic’s Lakers dinner fueled growing LeBron James tension

July 11, 2025
in Sports
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
Luka Doncic’s Lakers dinner fueled growing LeBron James tension
0
SHARES
ShareShareShareShareShare

Luka Doncic’s Lakers dinner fueled growing LeBron James tension

LeBron James doesn’t have a seat at the Lakers’ table anymore.

According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst, general manager Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick had a reservation at the famed Craig’s restaurant in West Hollywood four days after the Lakers’ season ended — but only one Lakers superstar was in attendance.

That was Luka Doncic.

The Lakers have overlapping timelines involving Luka Doncic and LeBron James have complicated the Lakers’ plans. Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

He, alongside his agent, Lara Beth Seager, sat down in early May with the team’s coach and general manager to discuss their strategy in building the franchise around him and how they plan to navigate the league’s new collective bargaining agreement.

While there’s a private exit out the back of Craig’s, the quartet left out the front with a mob of paparazzi in tow, which Shelburne and Windhorst said was the team’s clear depiction to the world that “Doncic is the face of the franchise now.”

The meetup, sans James, was just one of “a series of microaggressions” by the Lakers toward the 40-year-old who, barring a trade, is entering his eighth season with Los Angeles after picking up his $52.6 million player option.

After picking up his player option, LeBron James is on an expiring deal with some uncertainty surrounding his future. Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Since acquiring Doncic out of nowhere at the trade deadline in February, the Lakers’ objective has been clear: lock up the 26-year-old for the future. 

And in the meantime, James is uncharacteristically becoming an afterthought.

“James understood the Lakers taking advantage of an opportunity to pivot to the younger superstar,” Shelburne and Windhorst reported. “But from James’ perspective, sources said, nuance was sometimes lost during the transition.

“Doncic had never asked to be a Laker. James, for his part, had chosen L.A., coming in 2018 when the team had missed the playoffs five consecutive seasons, the worst run for the franchise since it moved from Minneapolis. Two years later, James had helped deliver a 17th championship.”

Since the dinner meeting, the Lakers followed up by not even engaging in any “substantial discussions” regarding a possible short extension for James, creating a clear “planned end date” for James’ run as the face of the franchise.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka made the move at the trade deadline to acquire Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

When the Buss family sold their majority stake of the Lakers, the five-month-tenured Doncic received notice ahead of time, but James did not.

The Lakers have made it clear that the legend is no longer their priority, as they do everything they can to get Doncic signed to an extension sometime after Aug. 1 when he becomes eligible.

JJ Redick is entering his second season as the Lakers head coach. Getty Images

In the time since, James has responded by “poking the bear,” as he went home to Ohio and teased a return to the Cavaliers through social media posts consisting of his hat reading “welcome home,” and him writing “proper attire” on a photo of Lakers team broadcaster Allie Clifton wearing a Cavaliers jersey.

While these sorts of things can easily mean nothing, Shelburne and Windhorst wrote that a close source to James said, “Nothing LeBron does is a coincidence.”

Credit: Source link

READ ALSO

Mets fulfilled trade deadline needs without losing top prospects

Cam Ward gives blunt assessment of ‘very mid’ Titans offense

ShareTweetSendSharePin
Previous Post

Carlos Rodon replacing Max Fried in Yankees’ All-Star Game swap

Next Post

Michele Tafoya responds to critics after airplane letter controversy

Related Posts

Mets fulfilled trade deadline needs without losing top prospects
Sports

Mets fulfilled trade deadline needs without losing top prospects

August 1, 2025
Cam Ward gives blunt assessment of ‘very mid’ Titans offense
Sports

Cam Ward gives blunt assessment of ‘very mid’ Titans offense

August 1, 2025
Jets’ sloppy offensive problems show up again
Sports

Jets’ sloppy offensive problems show up again

August 1, 2025
Mets get Cedric Mullins from Orioles in major MLB trade deadline move
Sports

Mets get Cedric Mullins from Orioles in major MLB trade deadline move

July 31, 2025
Fox acquires 33% stake in IndyCar owner Penske Entertainment
Sports

Fox acquires 33% stake in IndyCar owner Penske Entertainment

July 31, 2025
Baseball’s trade deadline is the best
Sports

Baseball’s trade deadline is the best

July 31, 2025
Next Post
Michele Tafoya responds to critics after airplane letter controversy

Michele Tafoya responds to critics after airplane letter controversy

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

What's New Here!

Charlize Theron is choosing to be single, she told ‘Call Her Daddy’

Charlize Theron is choosing to be single, she told ‘Call Her Daddy’

July 5, 2025
NHS to develop AI system to target patient safety issues

NHS to develop AI system to target patient safety issues

July 2, 2025
AMD to resume MI308 AI chip exports to China

AMD to resume MI308 AI chip exports to China

July 15, 2025
How the EU is pitching to reach a tariff deal

How the EU is pitching to reach a tariff deal

July 18, 2025
Elon Musk wants more control of Tesla so activist investors can’t boot him—but not so much the board can’t fire him if he goes ‘crazy’

Elon Musk wants more control of Tesla so activist investors can’t boot him—but not so much the board can’t fire him if he goes ‘crazy’

July 24, 2025
Trump’s ambitions collide with Epstein, Fed and health concerns

Trump’s ambitions collide with Epstein, Fed and health concerns

July 20, 2025
Israel’s stock market outperforms Middle East despite multi-front wars

Israel’s stock market outperforms Middle East despite multi-front wars

July 19, 2025

About

World Tribune is an online news portal that shares the latest news on world, business, health, tech, sports, and related topics.

Follow us

Recent Posts

  • Mets fulfilled trade deadline needs without losing top prospects
  • Read the document – The New York Times
  • After TikTok, Chinese businesses like Kling ramp up AI for video
  • Cam Ward gives blunt assessment of ‘very mid’ Titans offense

Newslatter

Loading
  • Submit Your Content
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • DMCA

© 2024 World Tribune - All Rights Reserved!

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Sports
  • Health
  • Food

© 2024 World Tribune - All Rights Reserved!

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In