LeBron James is almost never direct in his public messaging. Decades of managing his brand have made him one of the more image-conscious athletes in the history of professional sports. And yet, in the Los Angeles Lakers’ final game before the NBA trade deadline, he was uncharacteristically direct when asked about this current roster.
“No,” was James’ response to a question about whether this team can compete at the highest level as currently constructed. The response was shocking, honestly, and felt like a direct challenge to management to fix this roster, even if he clearly had a hand in putting it together.