LeBron James joked he could suffer the same fate as Anthony Davis if he spoke his mind after the Los Angeles Lakers went crashing out of the First Round of the NBA Playoffs on Wednesday, April 30.
The Lakers came into the contest 3-1 down and needing a response against the Minnesota Timberwolves if they hoped to win a first championship since 2020, but couldn’t break 100 points on the night as they lost 103-96.
LeBron: ‘I don’t have the answer’ to questions about his future after Lakers’ exit from NBA playoffs
Despite possessing both James and Luka Doncic, who combined for 60 points, 15 assists and 14 rebounds, their offense fell apart in the fourth quarter as they only managed to put 16 points on the board.
“No comment … AD said what he needed, and then he was gone the following week.” 😬
LeBron when asked about Lakers’ center issues after Luka-AD trade pic.twitter.com/QdhHGoYqXO
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 1, 2025
Being outperformed in the fourth quarter had been a worrying pattern for the Lakers throughout the series, including in the one game they won, as they struggled to put it together when it mattered.
Part of the reason was their vulnerability at center, playing the majority of the game without Jaxson Hayes, that allowed the Timberwolves‘ Rudy Gobert (27 points, 24 assists) and Anthony Edwards (15 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists) to run riot.
And James was clearly frustrated after the contest ended and his bid for a fifth NBA championship came to a close, refusing to talk for fear of repercussions from the Lakers‘ front office.
“No comments,” LeBron said about where the Lakers need to improve. “My guy AD [Anthony Davis] said [what he wanted] and he was gone the following week.”
The 40-year-old was recalling Davis‘ interview with Shams Charania in which he called for the Lakers to bring another center to the Crypto.com Arena so he could be moved up to the power forward role to support the offense.
Then, a few weeks later, came one of the most shocking trades in NBA history as he was sent to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Doncic. It seems James is keen to avoid the same outcome.