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For just the second time in 17 seasons, LeBron James did not participate in the NBA playoffs this year. While the Los Angeles Lakers star would obviously prefer to still be playing, he’s been trying to enjoy his extra time off. He’s even been seen vacationing in Dubai, so it’s safe to say he’s having a good time.
However, he couldn’t stay away from the gym long. Even with next season still in the distant future, LeBron made sure to start getting his workouts in right now.
Apparently, even waiting this long to get back in the gym is a problem for some people. Fox Sports analyst Skip Bayless ripped LeBron for taking six weeks off and said he has to “recommit.”
Nobody has ever questioned LeBron’s work ethic as it is well known that he spends over a million dollars every year on his body. There are plenty of players who don’t put in the work but LeBron is not one of them. Former Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma played with LeBron and knows how hard he works. He called Bayless “next level nuts” for his criticism of the superstar.
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Jeanie Buss Still Believes Lakers Can Win With LeBron
After the Lakers’ disaster of a season, there’s been some chatter that LeBron could get traded. He hasn’t requested anything and the team hasn’t started to explore options yet. In a recent interview with The Los Angeles Times, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss made it clear that she just wants to keep the superstar happy.
“It’s normal when you have a top player or players you bounce things off of them, I think that’s smart business,” Buss said of LeBron. “I want him to feel confident in the team, that we have the pieces to win a championship. He has to be happy. … I want to make sure that he’s happy.”
Buss is still confident that a team with Anthony Davis and LeBron can win another championship.
“There’s no reason for me to think we can’t win with them,” she said. “Something that I learned from Phil Jackson is that there’s always a path to success. … Sometimes it might be a little bit harder than other times, … but you have to see the ability.”
Based on what Buss is saying, it’s hard to imagine she even entertains the idea of trading LeBron this offseason.
LeBron Doesn’t Want to Leave L.A.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Buss is wanting to keep LeBron. The Lakers keep superstars, they don’t trade them. While things have gotten tough over the last two seasons, LeBron still wants to be in Los Angeles, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“From the LeBron side, as far as I understand, and before I say this it’s important with LeBron that you have to keep taking the temperature. Just because it’s certain one way on a Wednesday, doesn’t mean it will be Friday. But from what I understand, LeBron and Jeanie are in a good place right now,” Windhorst said. “Despite the frustrations of the season, LeBron believes that a few tweaks and some health can actually turn this thing around and they can be super competitive. He is invested and wants to be there.”
If LeBron is to move in the future, it’s unlikely it will happen this offseason. It’s sounding like both sides are determined to fix this season’s mess.
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