On paper, the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most talented teams in the NBA.
There aren’t many NBA duos better than LeBron James and Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers.
On top of that, the Lakers also addressed major holes in their lineup by signing Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart.
Ironically, Gilbert Arenas feels that’s the biggest reason for the rumored rift between James and the Lakers.
Doncic, 26, is at the peak of his career and made his commitment to the Lakers as clear as possible by signing a three-year contract extension this summer.
Meanwhile, James will turn 41 in December 2025 and is in the twilight of his NBA career. Building the team around Doncic was the logical choice, and the Lakers did just that.
“This summer, LeBron made a statement saying, ‘I want a championship team.’ Luka said, ‘This is the type of player I want,'” Arenas began the show.
He added, “Who got what? There were some lob threats (but) no one was competing for a championship. All LeBron got was sciatica.”
To be fair, adding the players Doncic wanted was a step towards building a championship contender. But Arenas believes this is a disdain for James, who has dedicated the past seven years of his career to Los Angeles.
Despite a turbulent summer, Lakers Nation will be hoping that the duo of Doncic and James, along with a new supporting cast, will thrive.
Unfortunately, James has already been ruled out for the Lakers’ season opener due to sciatica. In fact, the four-time NBA MVP also missed preseason games.
While some are reading too much into the timing of this injury, others aren’t worried about James missing the season-opening game.
Either way, the majority of Lakers fans are now focused on Doncic’s preseason debut. The Slovenian star will be part of the Lakers’ lineup against the Phoenix Suns.