LeBron James steps away from Lakers for ‘private causes,’ sparking fears amongst NBA followers

LeBron James is taking time away from the Los Angeles Lakers amid on-court struggles and off-court controversy this season. 

The NBA legend missed his first sport of the season when the Lakers confronted the Portland Path Blazers on Sunday, struggling with foot soreness. 

However considerations grew on Wednesday when the 39-year-old additionally wasn’t noticed at coaching, with head coach JJ Redick later confirming the extended absence. 

‘LeBron isn’t with the crew proper now,’ Redick stated after follow. ‘He is out for private causes, excused absence.’

He added that the veteran is ‘taking a while’ and didn’t have a timeframe for when James would return to the crew. 

A consultant of LeBron was not instantly accessible for remark.

The information of Lebron’s absence got here the identical day MMA fighter Colby Covington appeared to name out the NBA star for his previous ties to Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. 

Covington referenced a video of James becoming a member of Combs on an Instagram stay chat 4 years in the past. 

‘Hey, all people know, ain’t no get together like a Diddy get together,’ James advised Combs within the clip, which went viral in September.

‘What does LeBron imply by that? What number of Diddy events has he truly attended?,’ Covington requested at a press convention Wednesday. 

Combs was arrested in September in Manhattan after a probe into alleged intercourse trafficking, and he’s accused of drugging and raping victims as younger as 9. 

Combs, who faces over 100 sexual abuse allegations, is thought to have thrown the extravagant ‘freak-offs.’

These events would allegedly flip into massive orgies, which generally lasted for days.

Combs continues to insist he has been wrongfully accused, and maintains that whereas sordid, the events had been all consensual.

The rapper has been held since his September arrest on prices that he coerced and abused girls for years with the help of a community of associates and staff . An indictment accuses him of silencing victims by blackmail and violence, together with kidnapping, arson and bodily beatings. 

James has not made any touch upon the resurfaced video and has not been linked to any of Combs’ crimes.

James was additionally confirmed to be dominated out for the Lakers’ sport towards the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.

James is averaging 23 factors, 9.1 assists and eight.0 rebounds to this point this season – his twenty second within the NBA. 

Redick additionally stated that he’s in fixed communication with each James and his longtime athletic coach, Mike Mancias, about managing the four-time MVP’s workload as he nears his fortieth birthday, which he’ll rejoice on the finish of the month. 

‘In sport, he is requested for a sub a pair instances as a result of he is gassed,’ Redick stated. ‘For us, we’ve to be cognizant as we play increasingly video games, simply the cumulative impact of taking part in loads of minutes and Sunday, being banged up with the foot factor, it felt like a very good alternative for him to get some relaxation.’

James expressed a need earlier this season to play in all 82 video games, however each he and the Lakers are actually being sensible with the inevitable minor accidents that come up throughout any season. 

Final month, the NBA’s all-time main factors scorer introduced that he was quitting social media in a weird put up. 

‘And with that stated I will holla at y’all! Getting off social media in the interim. Y’all take care,’ he stated within the put up wherein he included a peace signal and crown emoji. 

James posted the farewell to his 159 million followers on Instagram and 52.9 million on X in response to a put up from Wealthy Kleinman, Kevin Durant’s longtime supervisor.

He shared a screenshot of a prolonged X put up from the NBA agent written on October 24, slamming the negativity in sports activities protection.

‘We will all acknowledge that sports activities is the final a part of society that universally brings folks collectively. So why cannot the protection do the identical? It is solely click on bait while you say it,’ Kleiman wrote on the time.

‘When the platform is so massive, you can also make the change and permit us all an escape from actual life negativity. I for one discover all of it a waste of breath. The Olympics and JJ [Redick] and Bron’s present was the way forward for what this could and may all be.’

‘AMEN!!’ James posted, together with a salute emoji.

Simply minutes later, he posted his weird goodbye to social media, which additionally got here at some point after he stated ‘all people on the Web known as me a liar on a regular basis.’

The absence comes after James has been shrouded in commerce rumors this week. 

The Golden State Warriors are stated to be monitoring the veteran as they seek for a second star to affix Steph Curry, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported this week. 

‘The Warriors have dreamed of pairing LeBron with Steph Curry and Draymond Inexperienced since final yr,’ he stated on the community’s ‘Get Up.’ 

‘They’ve made an inquiry and it obtained shut down final February. That was earlier than LeBron performed with Steve Kerr and Steph Curry and gained the gold medal over the summer season. 

‘So, they may positively monitor the state of affairs, and I do not assume they do something with out figuring out this door is locked, however I might simply say with LeBron, it is as much as him. He has a no-trade clause and he has given no indication he desires the Lakers to do something however improve the roster they have, not that he desires to go anyplace.’ 

James fulfilled his dream of taking part in alongside his son, Bronny, within the NBA this season when the 20-year-old was chosen by the Lakers within the second spherical of the 2024 Draft. 

They grew to become the first-ever father-son duo to swimsuit up alongside one another in an NBA sport through the Lakers’ season opener towards the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 22. 

Nevertheless, James Jnr. was assigned to the Lakers’ G-League affiliate earlier final month and is anticipated to maneuver between LA and South Bay this season. 

James Snr. obtained a full no-trade clause from the Lakers within the two-year, $101.4 million contract he signed within the offseason and it appeared that he would deliver the curtain down on his profession in Los Angeles since initially becoming a member of the crew in the summertime of 2018.