LeBron James has been tweeting postseason observations from his couch this spring. He has no interest in doing so again next year — or ever again.
“I can/will NOT miss the post season again for my career,” James tweeted Saturday night. “This s–t HURT. Ok back to watching these games.”
LeBron JamesAP
At 37, it’s unclear how long James has left before retirement, but he’s missed the playoffs twice in four years with the Lakers, though winning a championship in 2020 helps ease the disappointment. The only other times he’s missed the playoffs in his entire career were his first two seasons with the Cavaliers, back in 2004 and 2005.
The Lakers were supposed to be title contenders this season before things went south. Trading for Russell Westbrook didn’t go as planned, while James and Anthony Davis both missed significant time with injuries.
I can/will NOT miss the post season again for my career! This shit HURT. Ok back to watching these games.
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 23, 2022
The Lakers finished a disappointing 33-49, firing head coach Frank Vogel, who led them to a championship in the NBA bubble less than two years ago.
It’s the second straight year the team failed to meet expectations. They finished seventh in the West in 2021, again with James and Davis spending much of the season dealing with injuries, before losing to the Suns in the first round of the playoffs.
Whether James can make good on that vow will depend heavily on his own health, as well as Davis’. Additionally, the Lakers need to get their head coaching hire right, and figure out a way for their three superstars to coexist on the court.
In theory, missing the expanded postseason shouldn’t be an issue for a team with so much talent. But all you need to do to see whether that applies in practice is look at what happened this year.