Los Angeles Lakers: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

LeBron James Available To Play Vs. Clippers

The Los Angeles Lakers released an updated injury report for Friday night’s matchup against the L.A. Clippers and LeBron James has been upgraded to available.

Features

The Morning Bark

The Quiz of the Day

Kendrick Perkins Makes Bold Claim About Cade Cunningham Over Luka Doncic

Coming into the 2025-26 NBA season, Los Angeles Lakers superstar guard Luka Doncic dedicated himself to getting in shape following the aftermath of how everything went down with the Dallas Mavericks, which has produced some promising results, as he’s currently leading the league in scoring at 32.8 points per game.

Los Angeles Lakers News / Larry Brown Sports / February 20

Brian Windhorst appears to make a weight joke about Luka Doncic

Brian Windhorst seemed to crack a joke at Luka Doncic’s expense this week. The ESPN personality Windhorst drew attention on Friday with his comment about the Los Angeles Lakers star Doncic.

Anthony Edwards News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The 'NBA All-Star MVPs' quiz

How many of the NBA All-Star Game MVP Award -- officially named the Kobe Bryant Trophy in 2020 -- in the three-point era (1979-80) can you name in five minutes?

The 'Most made three-pointers by NBA season' quiz

The '2025-26 NBA All-Stars' quiz

The 'NBA Slam Dunk Contest winners' quiz

NBA News / Yardbarker

The 23 best NBA players with exactly one All-Star appearance

The NBA is a league built on the backs of its stars. Every now and then, guys in the NBA will raise their play to All-Star level, and sometimes, that run only lasts for one season.

Los Angeles Lakers News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The 'NBA Scoring Champions' quiz

How many of the NBA scoring champions since the NBA/ABA merger can you name in five minutes?

Los Angeles Lakers News / EasySportz / February 20

Luka and LeBron Lead Lakers Into Crucial Crosstown Battle

The battle for Los Angeles takes center stage tonight at crypto.com Arena as the Los Angeles Lakers host the LA Clippers in a Western Conference matchup with significant playoff implications.

LeBron James News / Larry Brown Sports / February 20

Ex-LeBron James teammate makes a notable prediction about James’ future

One former LeBron James teammate is trying his best to peer into the crystal ball. Retired former Cleveland Cavaliers swingman Iman Shumpert appeared this week on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back.” During the show, Shumpert made a notable prediction about James’ future — that James will end up taking a pay cut for next season.

Pau Gasol News / Lakers Nation / February 20

Pau Gasol Named Chair Of IOC Athletes’ Commission

Los Angeles Lakers legend Pau Gasol is one of the greatest international basketball players to ever step foot in the NBA. There’s a reason he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and his jersey is hanging in the rafters of the Crypto.com Arena.

NBA News / Yardbarker

20 NBA superstars who carried awful teams the farthest

Good players tend to succeed in the NBA. Sometimes, though, they find themselves in terrible situations but still find ways to over-achieve. These are the 20 players who carried the worst NBA teams.

Los Angeles Lakers News / Hoops Wire / February 20

Lakers finally whole again as stretch run begins

The Lakers are about to find out what they actually have. According to Benjamin Royer of the Southern California News Group, the Lakers expect to have a fully healthy roster when they open the post-All-Star portion of the schedule Friday against the Clippers.

Los Angeles Lakers News / Los Angeles Lakers on SI / February 20

Former NBA Star Believes Lakers Need to Push 'Panic Button'

The Los Angeles Lakers will play their first game after the NBA All-Star break on Friday, with the team hosting Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena.

Click here to get Yardbarker's Quiz of the Day emailed to you!

The 'Most seasons played by NFL team' quiz

The 'TD-catch leaders by NFL team' quiz

The 'Receiving leaders by NFL season' quiz

The 'NBA All-Star MVPs' quiz

Los Angeles Lakers News / Lakers Nation / February 20

Lon Rosen Outlines Goals In New Role With Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers worked quickly to replace Tim Harris after it was reported he would be leaving his post as president of business operations at the end of the season.

Los Angeles Lakers News / Lakers Nation / February 20

Rui Hachimura: People Won’t Appreciate LeBron James Until He Retires

There has simply been no player in the history of the NBA to be as good for as long as LeBron James has been. Whether it is with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat or Los Angeles Lakers, the consistent level that LeBron has maintained is simply unmatched.

J.J. Redick News / Lakers Nation / February 20

JJ Redick Breaks Down Zone Defense Usage

Despite all the injuries the Los Angeles Lakers have endured during the 2025-26 season, head coach JJ Redick has managed to keep the team afloat. Redick himself struggled to assess the first half of the season due to players being in and out, but did acknowledge they have been making some progress.

NBA News / Yardbarker / February 20

Cunningham enters James territory with Madison Square Garden masterpiece

Cade Cunningham enters LeBron James territory with historic Madison Square Garden masterpiece

Cunningham walked into Madison Square Garden on Thursday night and delivered one of the best performances of his career.

Behind Cade Cunningham's 42, Pistons complete season sweep of Knicks

The 25 greatest NBA players six feet tall or under

The 'Active 40-point, 10-assist NBA games' quiz

Los Angeles Lakers News / Lakers Nation / February 20

Luka Doncic Has High Confidence In Luke Kennard

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic got some extra rest as he was ruled out with a hamstring injury before the All-Star break. Doncic was fortunately able to play in the 2026 NBA All-Star Game and said his hamstring felt good after the game.

Los Angeles Lakers News / NBA Analysis Network / February 20

Lakers lead NBA in zone defense usage at 17.6% of possessions, allowing 0.86 PPP

The Los Angeles Lakers lead the NBA in zone defense usage at 17.6% of possessions, a strategic shift that has coincided with a drop in their defensive rating from 117.9 through 40 games to 112.7 since the adjustment.

Austin Reaves News / Lakers Nation / February 20

Austin Reaves Discusses How Healthy Lakers Can Gel For Remainder Of 2025-26 Season

Austin Reaves has become a bonafide star for the Los Angeles Lakers and will be a key factor in the team’s success as they head into second phase of the 2025-26 season.

J.J. Redick News / Athlon Sports / February 20

JJ Redick Shares Details on Lakers' Defensive Adjustments

There's no question about the Los Angeles Lakers' offensive prowess. When a coach like JJ Redick has LeBron James and Luka Doncic on his roster, it's easy to have a 116.0 offensive rating in an offense-minded league.

NBA News / Yardbarker / February 20

Kevin Durant ties Kareem Abdul-Jabbar record, is close to matching Kobe Bryant

Durant wasted no time making history in his team's first game back after the All-Star break.

Why Kevin Durant's response to burner account accusations isn't adding up

Cade Cunningham makes history, leads Pistons past Knicks in battle of top East contenders

Pistons' Cade Cunningham calls out top NBA stars for being floppers

The all-time leading rebounder for every NBA franchise

The '20-point NBA games leaders' quiz

Deandre Ayton News / Fadeaway World / February 19

4 Center Options For The Lakers To Replace Deandre Ayton This Summer

The Los Angeles Lakers are set to close the season with their current roster, but these could very well be the final months that this current group is together.

Austin Reaves News / Hoops Wire / February 19

Re-signing Austin Reaves sits atop Lakers’ offseason agenda

The Lakers are headed toward a pivotal offseason, one that will shape how they build around Luka Doncic moving forward. And according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the Lakers’ top priority has already been identified.

Los Angeles Lakers News / Field Level Media / February 19

JJ Redick expects Lakers to have Luka Doncic, others back vs. Clippers

When the Los Angeles Lakers return from the All-Star break on Friday, they expect to have their full complement of players for a change. Head coach JJ Redick said Thursday all players would be available for the Lakers' contest against the rival Clippers, including Luka Doncic.

Bronny James News / Athlon Sports / February 19

Lakers Announce Bronny James News on Thursday

In his second NBA season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bronny James has continued to split time between the NBA and the G League as he works to establish himself in head coach JJ Redick’s rotation.