LeBron James was seen having a heated moment with teammate Anthony Davis during the Lakers’ 41-point loss to the Heat.
LeBron James seen scolding Anthony Davis after brutal loss.
Wednesday’s matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat was nothing short of a disaster for the Lakers. The Heat handed them a crushing 134-93 defeat, a game that was out of the Lakers’ grasp almost immediately.
As the Lakers’ struggles continued, frustration boiled over on the court, culminating in a heated moment involving LeBron James and Anthony Davis. A fan-captured video from the game showed LeBron James appearing to scold Anthony Davis during a timeout.
The two teammates were preparing to resume play when James could be seen emphatically mouthing something toward Davis. While the audio wasn’t clear, James’ visible animation made it evident that tensions were high.
LeBron scolding AD after the timeout 😳
He is NOT happy with AD’s effort 😭 pic.twitter.com/laAr0CuQyA
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) December 5, 2024
The exchange, as seen in the video, perfectly portrays the seeming disconnect within the team right now. James, who mostly chooses to lead by example, appeared to be holding Davis accountable. Davis ended the game with a season-low eight points, furthering the embarrassment for the superstar. The Lakers repeated their vaunted pattern of falling apart in the second half.
The loss to Miami capped a particularly rough stretch for the Lakers, who have now suffered blowout defeats to the Nuggets, Suns, and Timberwolves, all within 12 days. Across these games, the Lakers have struggled with shaky starts and even worse finishes, losing third quarters by a combined 59 points.
LeBron James echoes JJ Redick’s ‘embarrassment’ after 41-point loss
The blowout loss prompted candid remarks from head coach JJ Redick, who didn’t shy away from calling out the team’s lack of fight. Reflecting on the team’s 12-10 record after losing six of their last eight games, he said he was embarrassed.
In his postgame presser, LeBron James echoed these sentiments. The veteran stated that he was also embarrassed by the team’s performance.
There’s no schemes or Xs and Os that’s gonna get you through that. You don’t want to come to compete, then that’s other issues… I agree with everything JJ said. Whatever he said, I agree 100%, 1000%.
LeBron James said
Redick and James’ remarks make it abundantly clear that the Lakers’ issues go beyond just strategy. The team’s recent performances have exposed an issue that has consistently plagued them over the last few seasons.
Although it has become commonplace to hold the Lakers’ coaching staff accountable, the team’s roster construction and lack of spirit have been their primary detractors. These are intangible qualities that can’t be solved with just the play-calling.
For a team with championship aspirations, these repeated blowouts are not just concerning, they’re unacceptable, and JJ Redick and LeBron James know it. The question is, does the Lakers front office know it?