March 31, 2026 was a day of milestones for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lake Show defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 127-112 for their , at the time, 16th win in their last 18 contests.
In the game, Luka Doncic and Rui Hachimura topped 15,000 and 5,000 career points, respectively while head coach JJ R edick notched his 100th win as an NBA head coach. That same matchup also marked the 1,229th combined victory ( both regular and post season) of LeBron James illustrious career.
Redick acknowledged the achievements in post game remarks to the team to a rousing rounds of applause form both players and the coaching staff.
Enter Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka with the game ball in tow. He presented the ball not to James, Doncic or Hachimura, but to Redick.
Apparently this gesture rubbed LeBron the wrong way, and according to longtime LeBron acolyte Dave McMenamin, he felt it was another instance of “the Lakers taking him for granted.”
James reportedly felt a degree of rancor for the perceived slight because he felt the ball should have been awarded to him and McMenamin reports that he left the arena without changing clothes, carried by a wave of , in his mind, righteous imagination.
While LeBron may have felt that Redick getting the game ball was blatant overlooking of his achievement, it was really another example of the insatiability of his ego. Instead of celebrating the accomplishments of his teammates and coach, he turned himself into a victim and left in a huff. Described as selfless, he’s stubbornly engaged in a playstyle that relegates his teammates, to a deleterious effect, to cogs that exist to elevate himself. This is the same Lebron that wanted the world to know that though his team was getting taelken to the woodshed in th NBA Finals he wanted averaging a triple double in the series.
As the Lakers enter the offseason coming off another disappointing playoff exit, the question they must ask themselves is whether they should they continue to be proverbially set themselves on fire to keep LeBron’s ego warm
