King James has left the building. LeBron put the internet in a tailspin when reports surfaced that he was temporarily stepping away from the court.
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00:00King James has left the building
00:03LeBron put the internet in a tailspin when reports surfaced that he was temporarily stepping
00:07away from the court.
00:09At the team's practice session on December 11, 2024, Lakers coach J.J. Reddick told the
00:15media that James had an excused absence for personal reasons, clarifying that, quote,
00:21LeBron is not with the team right now.
00:23The Sunday prior to that, James sat out for the first time in the season.
00:27According to ESPN, he cited foot soreness as the reason for staying on the bench.
00:32The L.A. team eked out a win, but fans were quick to start speculating that there was
00:36something going on, even to the point that the Lakers were gearing up to trade him.
00:41Missing the December 11th practice sesh only added fuel to the rumor fire, and overnight
00:46the subject of LeBron James' future in L.A. became a jump ball for social media.
00:51Comments under various announcements were rife with predictions that he was being traded.
00:55One person wrote in response to the news,
00:57"'He's debating if he wants to be traded or not.'"
01:00Another person mused,
01:01"'I know it's damn near impossible to facilitate a trade that includes him, but the timing
01:06of personal reasons is interesting.'"
01:08Those are just a few examples of many that showcase the speculation running wild on social
01:12media.
01:13And as it turns out, fans aren't the only ones frothing at the mouths over the rumors.
01:17Bleacher Report noted that other teams were also keeping a close eye on the situation
01:22in the hopes of snatching up the star forward.
01:25Specifically, the Golden State Warriors are reportedly keeping the door open to reunite
01:29LeBron with his 2024 Olympic teammate, Steph Curry.
01:33The Warriors have dreamed of pairing LeBron with Steph Curry and Draymond Green since
01:37last year.
01:38They've made an inquiry and it got shut down."
01:41It's important to remember that all of the trade rumors are just that, rumors.
01:46Neither James nor the Lakers have made any statements about the matter, and fans also
01:50took to both sides of the court, with plenty of people stepping in to try to shut down
01:54the gossip mill.
01:56One person tweeted,
01:57"'Here comes the LeBron is being traded people.
01:59Dude's not going anywhere and can't till at least the 15th of December.'"
02:03Another person said simply,
02:05"'It's good to see LeBron prioritize his well-being off the court.'"
02:09In fact, a ton of fans stood up for James during his recuperation and hoped he took
02:13the time he needed.
02:14The 39-year-old has been noticeably slower in his games, racking up a career-worst turnover
02:19rate throughout the current season.
02:21"'When you look at that, you look at the way the Lakers have been playing, you look at
02:25the load that it's taken on him.
02:27One could argue it's not just physical but emotional as well.'"
02:30Maybe a little rest and personal time is exactly what James needs.
02:34As one person took to X to write,
02:36"'To be honest, I'd rather sit him for two weeks instead of playing against the Wolves
02:40for full recovery.'
02:41That turned out to be what happened.
02:43It wasn't long before reports also came out that James would also miss the Lakers' December
02:4713th game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, with ESPN reporting that he didn't fly with
02:52the team before the game.
02:54But no matter how much speculation is bouncing around the internet, coach Reddick insists
02:58the whole situation is minor, saying,
03:00"'Being banged up with the foot thing, it felt like a good opportunity for him to get
03:04some rest.'"