LeBron Looked Different on Opening Night, and Everyone Noticed

For the first time in his career, LeBron James was not playing on opening night. In his 23rd season, James had to miss the season opener due to sciatica issues. There is no timetable for his return, with speculation around late November or early December. The Los Angeles Lakers will need him to compete for a championship. But one thing was iffy on opening night: LeBron looked disengaged, flat, and sometimes not interested in the game itself. Rumors instantly began spreading about his feelings for the Lakers.

LeBron Looked Different on Opening Night, and Everyone Noticed

LBJ is one of the best when it comes to handling things with the media. He is also one of the best at sending signals and showing his emotions with a single emoji on social media. Throughout the summer, there were reports that LeBron and the Lakers never talked about an extension, and that the team was moving on from him and focusing mainly on Luka Doncic.

Then, there was the Rich Paul statement, which mentioned how LeBron wants to compete for a championship while the Lakers are building for the future. That vague statement and LeBron picking up his player option were the talk of the summer. And it seems like the situation might get worse before it gets better. According to Lakers insider Jovan Buha, it was clear the vibes were off during opening night. He said:

“Yeah, I mean I don’t want to play armchair psychologist here, so I’m — I want to refrain from too much speculation. But the vibes with that situation have not been the best, I’ll say. So, again, I don’t really want to go too much down that road, but yeah, I mean, I thought there were times just looking at the huddle or looking at the bench that he wasn’t as engaged as he typically is when he’s out. Just in the observations I made of the body language, it was not great, and I do think it was a bit different than what it has been in the past in this same situation of him being out.”

There were also social media posts showing James not clapping or cheering for teammates when the whole bench was.

The Lakers Cannot Win Without LeBron

For better or worse, LeBron and the Lakers have to figure out a way to work together. Due to his contract, it is extremely challenging to trade him midseason. At the same time, he has stated over and over again that he wants to retire as a Laker.