- Austin Reaves says he had to buy LeBron James Xbox controller as one of his rookie duties on Lakers
- Tristan Thompson says he surprised LeBron James during Lakers workout: ‘I haven’t seen this since Cleveland’
- Draymond Green says the Lakers are a ‘serious threat’ in the Western Conference
- Report: Lakers downgrade D’Angelo Russell’s status for Friday’s matchup vs. Thunder
- Kendrick Perkins rips ‘borderline senior citizen’ Chris Paul for letting Austin Reaves drop 25 points on him
- Anthony Davis issues confident statement on Lakers playoff hopes: ‘You put anybody against us, I like our chances’
- Anthony Davis declares that he and LeBron James have ‘one of the best relationships’ among duos in the NBA
- Former teammate of Kobe and LeBron says Kobe was ‘like Mike’ while LeBron was more ‘happy-go-lucky’
- Report: LeBron James has resumed on-court activity for Lakers
- Monty Williams sounds off on free-throw disparity in Lakers-Suns game
Stephen A. Smith crushes Brooklyn Nets stars for sitting games, says only LeBron James has earned time off
- Updated: April 15, 2021
Both the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets have had their superstars miss significant time this season.
According to ESPN personality Stephen A Smith, only LeBron James has earned the right to miss games.
I swear…..I’m so sick of this S$$$! How many times are the fans gonna get screwed? Thank God for @KingJames! He’s the ONLY player who’s EARNED time off. Damn! pic.twitter.com/3Pgxg99vWh
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) April 14, 2021
James has been out for the last few weeks due to a severely sprained ankle. His first mate, Anthony Davis, has missed the past two months with a calf strain and Achilles tendonosis.
The reasons for James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving missing games have been more nebulous, though.
Durant missed considerable time with a hamstring strain, leading some to speculate why he was out so long. Harden is currently out with a hamstring strain of his own.
Irving, however, has missed some games due to personal reasons.
Many around the basketball world are picking the Lakers and Nets to meet in the NBA Finals this summer.
The truth is, if either team lacks enough time together as a full team to get things clicking before the start of the playoffs, it could prevent a championship series appearance altogether.