Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James doesn’t have much time left in the NBA. In his 21st season, James has been beset by injuries and, more recently, diminished athleticism even as he continues to post strong performances.
After the Lakers’ loss to the Atlanta Hawks on January 30, James fired off a cryptic post sure to stir trade rumors in the early hours of the following morning.
It was a simple hourglass emoji. James, 39, finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, one block and one steal in the 138-122 road loss. He was candid in his postgame availability.
“We could, on any given night, beat any team in the NBA. And then on any given night we get our ass kicked by any team in the NBA,” James told reporters. “That’s where we are.
“I don’t have any message for my teammates. Just go out and do your job. I’m not — yeah.”
With the trade deadline on February 8, the responses to James’ post trended as one might expect, with The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor taking the opportunity to drop his article headlined by the question of whether it was time for James and the Lakers to split. Some fans did indeed believe that James was sending a message about his potential desire for a trade.
“He’s requesting a trade,” one fan wrote in a quote of James’ post.
“BRON LEAVING THE LAKERS LETS GOOOOO,” said another fan.
James has a $51.4 million player option for next season, meaning he can become a free agent after this season anyway. But most believed James was sending a message to Head Coach Darvin Ham and teammates with the trade deadline looming.
