Lakers rumors: Rob Pelinika’s JJ Redick gift that left LeBron James seething

The Los Angeles Lakers will have some tough decisions to make this offseason, and it involves some of their top players. LeBron James is one of those players who is set to become a free agent, but there is also uncertainty on whether he’ll retire or not.

This season, it was obvious that the reigns were given to Luka Doncic, and toward the second half of the season, it was established that James would be the third option behind him and Austin Reaves. After the game in which James moved past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most victories by any player in NBA history, several other players also reached milestones.

JJ Redick had also earned his 100th victory that night. Rob Pelinka happened to be in the locker room after the game, and what he did with the game ball in that moment didn’t sit right with James, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

“Rather than hand it to Hachimura or Doncic or James, Pelinka walked to the front of the room and presented the ball to Redick, who had just presided over his 100th coaching win,” McMenamin wrote.

James is noted to have a really good relationship with Redick, but in that moment, he didn’t feel like he was appreciated by the Lakers.

“But James, who played the past eight seasons in Los Angeles and helped deliver the franchise its 17th championship in 2020, saw Pelinka’s priority in that moment as yet another example of the Lakers taking him for granted,” McMenamin wrote.

There were already rumors that James felt like the Lakers were trying to push him out the door after they traded for Luka Doncic, and that move from Pelinka probably didn’t make things any better for him.

Now, the next thing to figure out if James and the Lakers will be on the same page this offseason in the event he wants to come back.

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