As the Lakers struggle, suspicions fly over the star’s cryptic emoji and his $51.4 million player option for the next season.
NEW YORK— In his first media appearance after cryptically tweeting an hourglass emoji on X (previously known as Twitter) following the Lakers’ 138-122 defeat to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, Lakers star LeBron James declined to explain the significance of the image.
“No,” James said when questioned about the article.
Following widespread rumors on social media that the Lakers were considering trading James ahead of
Thursday’s deadline, James’ agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst that James “won’t be traded, and we aren’t asking to be.”
James holds a player option worth $51.4 million with the Lakers for the 2024-25 season. James said “no” when asked if he had considered his player-option choice.
James’ comments came before of the Lakers’ Saturday evening game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
After missing Thursday’s surprise win over the league-leading Boston Celtics due to bilateral Achilles
tendinopathy and a left hip spasm, James was classified as doubtful with left ankle peroneal tendinopathy.
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