A few weeks ago, LeBron James left social media. Now, he will be leaving the Lakers, at least temporarily.
Speculation arose after James was absent during the Lakers' 107-98 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night. After the game, Lakers coach JJ Redick confirmed the superstar was out, but did not give a reason for his absence.
“LeBron [James] He's not on the team right now,'' Reddick said. said ESPN. He is absent due to personal reasons. ” Even more ominously, Reddick said James “takes time,” suggesting his absence could extend to several games.
James' absence comes as the 22-year veteran endures one of the worst stretches of basketball in his long and storied career. Over the past few games, the self-proclaimed “Chosen One” has gone 0-20 on 3-point shots. Additionally, James is averaging 23 points per game, his lowest scoring average since his rookie season.
James also looked exhausted at times, and Redick acknowledged that his star forward was asked to come off the bench in recent games.
The season began with relatively high expectations for the 40-year-old, set by none other than himself. The four-time NBA champion said he would like to play in all 82 games, something he has only accomplished once in his career.
Now that James' streak has stopped at 23 games, the expectation is for him to be healthy and back to playing at a level at least close to what he achieved in his career. But now that he's 40 years old, those days may be over.
