NBA journalist claims LeBron and Luka ‘don’t get along very well’

NBA journalist Bill Reiter recently claimed that Los Angeles Lakers stars LeBron James and Luka Doncic “don’t get along very well.”

Reiter seems to think that James would be happier in a different situation if he were to return for a 24th NBA season in the 2026-27 campaign, but a recent report suggests that he likes being in Los Angeles.

Right now, James’ future is up in the air, as the four-time champion is set to be an unrestricted free agent if he decides that he wants to continue his storied career. There is always a chance that James will retire, though the All-Star forward still is playing at such a high level that it may be tough for him to walk away from the game.

During the 2025-26 regular season, James averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from 3. He then followed that up with a strong playoff run, averaging 23.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game, leading the Lakers to the second round.

Doncic missed the entire postseason run for Los Angeles, as he suffered a hamstring injury in early April and was unable to return to the team. As a result, the Lakers were swept in the second round of the playoffs by the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

Reiter seems to think that the relationship between Doncic and James isn’t great, but the Lakers still played well with both players in the 2025-26 season, finishing with the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference.

James accepted a smaller role as the third option behind Doncic and Austin Reaves, and it’s possible he will do the same thing in the 2026-27 season if he wishes to return. The Lakers have a lot of decisions to make in the offseason, but it’s hard to see them finding a player that is better than James to add to their roster without making a trade.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has already made it clear that the Lakers want Reaves and James on the roster in the 2026-27 season, so it seems like a return is a viable option for the four-time league MVP.

It’ll be interesting to see if the Lakers keep the pair of Doncic and James together as they look to build a championship contender this offseason.