LEBRON JAMES TO CLEVELAND? WHY INSIDERS THINK A 2026 HOMECOMING IS FINALLY HAPPENING
Is LeBron James done in L.A.? After a brutal Christmas loss, insiders suggest the 40-year-old superstar is eyeing a 2026 exit.
Lakers coach JJ Redick was watching as LeBron James waited to get back into the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves during game two of the first round of the NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena.
Ex-NBA champ Kendrick Perkins thinks the seven-year thing between LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers is done.
Perkins figured this out after seeing how James, his old teammate, was acting during Thursday's Christmas Day loss to the Houston Rockets.
"LeBron James and the Lakers, it's over," Perkins said on ESPN's First Take on Friday. They need to work it out. And the fix is him not being in a Lakers uniform.
Perkins said that Rich Paul's recent words—James' agent said the Lakers aren't going to win a title—show that James isn't happy with the Lakers.
LeBron's been to the NBA Finals like 10-15 times. He knows when a team isn't good enough. Rich Paul, his agent, just said the Lakers aren't title contenders. If Rich Paul is saying it, they both feel that way.
Is LeBron James Not Happy?
James wasn't himself in Thursday's loss to the Rockets. A lot of experts pointed out that he missed some defensive plays, let his Rockets matchups push him around on rebounds, and wasn't fast enough guarding closeouts.
Fair or not, the 40-year-old got a lot of blame for his team getting beaten up inside by the Rockets, who scored 68 points in the paint and got more rebounds than the Lakers, 48-25, with 17 offensive rebounds. Those second chances led to 24 points.
Perkins thinks James looked like he'd given up.
Watching that game last night—and I played with LeBron James and grew up playing with him in AAU—I know this guy. When he's not into it, or if he's feeling some kind of way, it shows in how he acts, Perkins said about James.
And last night, he looked terrible. He wasn't into it. He was whining, sulking, walking around, and complaining.
Are LeBron and Redick Fighting?
Perkins also hinted that Lakers coach JJ Redick didn't look too happy during Thursday's loss, saying that Redick started blasting his players in news conferences after James came back from sciatica.
"He wasn't saying these things earlier in the season when LeBron James was out," Perkins said about Redick.
Some experts thought Redick was talking about James when he called out certain players in his postgame news conference.
It's about making the choice, and often we have guys who don't want to make that choice, Redick said about the Lakers' defensive struggles.
And it's pretty obvious who those guys are.
The coach, in his second year, also told his players that they were going to have a tough meeting on Saturday, where he plans to yell at them.
Saturday's practice—I told the guys—it's going to be tough, Redick said. The meeting is going to be tough. I'm not doing another 53 games like this.
James, who has a $52.6M contract that's about to end, can't be traded unless he says so. And even if the 4-time NBA champ finishes the season, there's a good chance he won't be a Laker next year, according to several insiders.
RORY MCILROY TARGETS SEVENTH MAJOR AT ARONIMINK FOLLOWING EMOTIONAL MASTERS DEFENSE
No long break for Rory McIlroy! After his 6th major win, McIlroy eyes the PGA Championship at Aronimink this May.
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Rory McIlroy isn’t following the same script after this Masters win. When reporters asked if he’d take another long break, as he did in 2025, Rory had a different plan in mind.
He’s not disappearing for months this time. Instead, he’s taking a couple of weeks off before jumping back into PGA Tour action. The next big event on the calendar is the PGA Championship, starting May 14 at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania, but it sounds like Rory wants to get some tournament play before then.
He talked about his mindset shift after winning again at Augusta. “My schedule’s going to be different this year,” he said on April 13. “Last year, I thought winning the Grand Slam would be the destination. But actually, it’s just part of the ride. Now that I’ve won my sixth major, I feel great about my game and my body.
“I waited ages to win the Masters, and then I won two in a row. I definitely want to enjoy this. I’ll take a couple weeks off, but I don’t think I’ll hit that motivation lull I felt last year after the win.”
So, what comes next for Rory? He’s skipping the RBC Heritage this week, and his appearance at the Zurich Classic isn’t confirmed either.
Then, there’s Donald Trump, who might’ve let the cat out of the bag. After congratulating Rory on social media, Trump said he was looking forward to watching him at Doral during the Cadillac Championship on April 30. That’s not an official confirmation, but it’s a pretty solid clue that Rory’s next start could be there.
Now that he’s up to six majors and finally has back-to-back Masters titles, Rory’s thinking ahead. The next big stop? The PGA Championship, where he’ll chase number seven. But he’s not feeling satisfied just yet.
“I don’t want to put a hard number on it, but this is just part of the journey,” he said. “I’ve still got things I want to accomplish even as I make sure I enjoy the moment, too.”
LUKA DONčIć'S RETURN TIMELINE REVEALED; ESPN ANALYST HINTS AT LATE FIRST-ROUND COMEBACK
Ramona Shelburne reveals a potential return timeline for Luka Dončić. Discover how the Lakers can save their season.
So, when exactly might Luka Dončić make his return from that hamstring injury? A leading ESPN analyst has put forward a timeline that, if it holds true, could significantly improve the Lakers’ chances in the playoffs.
Why is this important? Because the timeline hints at Dončić possibly coming back during the first round, assuming the Lakers manage to push the series beyond a quick exit.
Dončić, originally from Slovenia, has quite a background. As a teenager, he spent five years playing for Real Madrid, even leading them to a EuroLeague title in 2018. That same year, the Atlanta Hawks picked him third overall in the draft but traded him immediately to Dallas.
Right now, Dončić is back in Spain for treatment on the hamstring he hurt early April during a Lakers loss to the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Reports from the Los Angeles Times suggest he’s undergoing advanced therapies like ultrasound-guided platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and stem cell injections, approaches designed to accelerate healing.
It’s interesting to note that while the US only allows PRP and stem cell treatments using the patient’s own cells without manipulation, European regulations are less strict. This means doctors there can boost the concentration of anti-inflammatory agents or culture stem cells over several days, potentially speeding up recovery.
So, if these treatments yield the hoped-for results, when might Dončić be back on the court? ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne shared her perspective during a recent interview.
She pointed out that Dončić’s return could give LeBron James a fitting finale in his long and storied NBA career, basically setting the stage for a memorable chapter. Shelburne mentioned that there’s a chance Luka could rejoin the team later in the first-round series. He’s actively receiving daily treatment in Spain and stays in constant communication with teammates, which sounds promising.
Even if he doesn’t make it back for the entire first round, that window of possibility offers some hope. If the Lakers can stretch their series by a couple of games at home, maybe Dončić’s comeback becomes more than just a distant dream.
Put simply, whether Dončić returns during the first round seems to hinge on whether the Lakers avoid a sweep by their likely first-round foe, the Houston Rockets.
Looking at the Lakers’ playoff picture with just one regular-season game left, they’re on a two-game winning streak heading into Sunday’s finale against the Utah Jazz, a team sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference.
Win that game, and the Lakers secure the No. 4 seed, thanks to tiebreakers over both Houston, trailing by one game, and the Denver Nuggets, a game ahead. That would set up a first-round matchup against Houston.
However, if the Lakers win and the Nuggets lose their last game to the Spurs, the Lakers could leap to the No. 3 seed and host the Minnesota Timberwolves instead.
