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LeBron James Addresses Lakers' Decision Amid 23rd NBA Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Dec 31, 2025 7:32 AM ET

The Detroit Pistons spoiled what should have been a celebration for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer turned 41 on Tuesday, and the league gifted him with a home matchup against the 25-8 Pistons, who currently have the best record in the Eastern Conference.

After a relatively close first three quarters, Detroit turned it up in the fourth to create enough separation to blow the game wide open. James finished with 17 points, four rebounds, four assists, a steal, one block and three triples on his birthday, but it was far from enough for L.A. The Pistons ultimately cruised to a 128-106 win, as the Lakers dropped to 20-11 on the season.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23).Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

It was Cade Cunningham who led the charge for Detroit with 27 points, five rebounds, 11 assists, a steal and one triple. The fifth-year guard outdueled Luka Doncic, who logged a game-high 30 points, five rebounds, 11 assists, three triples and eight turnovers in the loss.

After the game, James spoke to the media to discuss the loss. One of the things he pointed out was how the Lakers have turned away from him in terms of ball-handling duties.

"I haven't really been on the ball,” he said, via Lakers Daily on X. “I don't know if you've watched our games. I've been playing off the ball a lot. ... If the coaches ask me to [play on-ball], then I can do that. But I've been playing mostly off the ball this year."

James isn’t exactly pinning the blame on anyone after L.A.’s latest disappointing loss, but his comments came following a 22-point loss. The Lakers have lost four blowouts in their last five games, averaging a losing margin of 21.0 points.

It has been Doncic who has been the primary focus of JJ Redick’s offense this season, which does not come as a surprise considering how the Lakers gave up so much to acquire the services of the ball-dominant guard.

At this point, it appears that James remains determined to play whatever role the Lakers ask him to, including having to take a step back to let Doncic play his game. It has been an up-and-down season for the Lakers, though, and this recent losing stretch to close out the calendar year could potentially lead to some tweaks from Redick heading into 2026.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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