James' Los Angeles Lakers are facing a knock-out of the NBA playoffs by defending champions the Denver Nuggets, and despite a win on Saturday night that avoided the team being swept out of the series, the controversy over the feud between James and head coach Darvenham made the outside world even more unfavorable.
While it was noticeable at the time, a video of the incident was released afterwards, and it is now known what exactly James was frustrated about.
It appears to have started when his own coach refused to challenge the on-court decision when the referee ruled it was a Denver Nuggets ball.
James was angry because he insisted he didn't touch the ball because the ball was out of the line, which meant that the ball should belong to the Lakers after the restart.
"I didn't touch the ball, I didn't touch it," James exclaimed, "Challenge it! Challenge this damn game." ”
Few players have made such moves on the court, however, Ham and the Lakers coaching staff didn't seem to hear James and refused to challenge the ball.
James was so focused on protesting to the coach that the Nuggets were able to quickly restart and score after serving. As the game progressed, James looked angry in front of the camera.
It's just a microcosm of the game, with the Lakers actually scoring a crucial win on Saturday, but the lack of mutual trust between James and his coaching staff is bound to be bad news.
James' contract with the Lakers expires this offseason, and it's unclear what he wants to do in the future. Examples like this show that he wouldn't be too happy to stay with the Lakers and the coaching staff who don't listen to him.
Speculation about James' future has sparked discussion of potential transfers, including a surprise move to the Dallas Mavericks, where he could join forces with Luka Doncic and his former teammate Kyrie Irving, who won a championship with Irving in 2016. Just today, Bill Simmons confirmed on the podcast that James could join the Dallas Mavericks in the offseason.
"This is the first time I've seen him finish line," Simmons continued, "and I'm guessing the Dallas Mavericks would be a team where he might come in on a base salary contract to win his fifth championship." ”
However, Simmons was skeptical that James would make such a move. "It's weird, I don't think he's going to do it," he said, adding that James could return to the Eastern Conference, noting that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers are the four-time league MVP's most likely destinations.
With the Lakers facing elimination, speculation surrounding James' career decision has added another layer of drama to an already tense playoff narrative.