The LA Lakers lost their season opener at home to the Golden State Warriors.
For the first time since entering the league 23 years ago, the NBA season ended without LeBron James.
James is out with a sciatica injury, and the new Los Angeles Lakers will start the season without him.
Things didn’t go as planned for the Lakers, who lost 119-109 and were on the back foot from the start.
Even though Luka Doncic scored 43 points and was one assist away from a triple-double, the Warriors always had the upper hand.
LeBron James was watching from the sideline. He didn’t seem impressed.
LeBron James often wore a mysterious expression whenever the camera cut to him during the broadcast. And considering the Lakers’ loss, that might not be surprising.
However, there was a question mark over his future with the Lakers, and much attention was focused on LeBron James’ movements.
Many fans on social media felt that LeBron looked guarded and unmotivated.
One person wrote, “I’m not a body language doctor by profession and this is just one guy’s observation. LeBron was unavailable all night and didn’t interact with the team, coaches, or what was going on on the court during the game. Don’t kill the messenger, just report what I saw.”
Another fan said, “LeBron never took his hands off his sides during that whole thing. No clap, no sign of approval, nothing.”
And a third quipped: “He’s already submitted a list of teams he’d like to trade to.”
Another fan added, “LeBron looks completely demotivated. He’s gone.”
“LeBron looked like a guy who wasn’t going to come back any time soon,” another wrote.
There were also other posts such as: “LeBron has a complete check on the Lakers. This is the first time in years that I’ve seen him sit on the sideline and never raise his voice about the game. He doesn’t intervene and he definitely leaves as soon as possible.”
Another fan wrote, “Is anyone going to talk about how toxic LeBron looked on the bench?”
LeBron James is suffering from sciatica and his recovery time is unpredictable, so his return date is unknown. It will be reevaluated in November.
The Lakers are trying to grow in his absence, but there are concerns about what will happen if they continue to lose.
Dave McMenamin warned on ESPN that LeBron’s departure could be hastened, saying, “We’ll have to watch LeBron while he’s out. If they’re struggling, that could be the next step.”
“Rich Paul said LeBron will be watching every move the Lakers make because the priority is winning. If the Lakers can’t win, maybe LeBron has to go elsewhere.”
LeBron seems frustrated with the Lakers’ opening game loss, and it’s easy to draw conclusions about where this situation is headed.