LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were swept by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.
JJ Redick’s second season with the Los Angeles Lakers was unquestionably a successful one as they won 53 games and beat the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs despite being without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves for a majority of the series.
The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off a second-round sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the rebuild around Luka Doncic starts now. With roughly $48 million in cap space to work with, the front office has real decisions to make, starting with the wing position.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ season came to an end after they were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals, which immediately put the spotlight on LeBron James as he decides whether or not to extend his playing career.
LeBron James is taking his time with the Lakers, and it may come down to more than just money. People familiar with his thinking told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that how the Lakers present any contract offer will matter as much as the number itself.
Rookies are exciting for teams and their fans because they represent potential, hope for the future. While it can take years to see how a prospect will pan out, sometimes it clicks right away.
The Lakers got a lot of things right with how they constructed their 2025-26 roster. One of those players who worked out so well was Marcus Smart. Luka Dončić, heavily recruited him and other Lakers players spoke glowingly about Smart the moment he was signed.
Adou Thiero’s rookie season with the Los Angeles Lakers was a mixed bag as he was didn’t make much of an impact early on due to his recovery from left knee surgery he underwent during his final year at Arkansas.
There was a somber feeling in the air as Lakers Head Coach JJ Redick and General Manager Rob Pelinka addressed the media on Tuesday morning. There’s no moral victory in a sweep, but they celebrated winning 50 games in the second year of the Luka Doncic era.
The No. 1 pick is the prize of the draft. That's obvious, but sometimes, the second pick can be almost, or even more, valuable. These are the greatest No.
For the first time in a long time, it genuinely feels possible that LeBron James has played his last game as a Los Angeles Laker. After the Lakers were eliminated by the Thunder, LeBron admitted he still does not know whether he will return for another NBA season.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James’ season was one of firsts for the legendary forward. He was playing on an expiring contract for really the first time in his career, and then he missed Opening Night and the first 14 games due to injury for the first time.
When Luka Dončić initially went down with his hamstring strain, the Lakers ruled him out indefinitely, putting no clear timetable on his return. While some people speculated that a Grade 2 hamstring strain meant he could return after a month or so, none of them were privy to his MRI results.
The defending champion and reigning MVP, who has led his team to a perfect 8-0 record in this year’s playoffs, Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is embracing the villain role, much like Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
Jeanie Buss gave a careful answer when asked about the possibility of a LeBron James statue outside the Los Angeles Lakers’ arena. The question matters because James’ Lakers legacy is entering a more complicated stage after another playoff exit.
Jeanie Buss has added an unexpected Lakers connection to Spencer Pratt’s campaign for Los Angeles mayor. The donation drew attention because Pratt’s run is no longer being treated as a celebrity sideshow.
The loudest thing Luka Doncic said after the Lakers were swept was not really about frustration. It was about clarity. After Los Angeles’ season ended, Doncic said the original recovery timeline on his Grade 2 left hamstring strain was eight weeks and that he was never close to a real return.
The Lakers are doing their homework on Giannis Antetokounmpo. That part makes sense. Multiple reports say Los Angeles plans to explore trade scenarios this summer.
Deandre Ayton might end up being a one-and-done in L.A. The Los Angeles Lakers center Ayton could potentially opt out of his contract with the team to test free agency this summer, Dan Woike and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported on Tuesday.
With just 12.2 seconds left and the Lakers trailing by three, JJ Redick pulled his hottest shooter from the floor, and the cameras caught exactly what Luka Doncic thought about it.
So, do the Lakers want James back next season to see how this story could end? Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka sent a clear and strong message about that.
Although the Lakers began to believe during a 16-2 run in the second half of the season that their roster was good enough to compete with the Thunder and contend for a title, running back a “mostly similar” group in 2026/27 isn’t viewed as a viable option, team and league sources tell Sam Amick and Dan Woike of The Athletic.