New Headline: LeBron’s Explosive Slam Lights Up Miami Heat Showers!
Mar 16, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) warms up before the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center | Credits- Troy Taormina-Imagn Images The start of the 2025-26 season was difficult for LeBron James, who missed multiple games due to sciatica, a stretch during which the Lakers were actually performing at a high level thanks to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. That sparked the notion that the team might be better off without him, something that sounds absurd to those close to him. James has missed a total of 21 games because of injuries, with elbow and hip problems affecting the 41-year-old currently.
And the Purple and Gold’s record in that stretch? 14-7. In other words, they’ve won more without him than they’ve lost.
Many are now saying that LA functions much better with James on the sideline and the offense running entirely through Doncic and Reaves. It’s not the craziest theory. Doncic and Reaves are young bucks and James, as great as he still can be, is 41 and potentially in one of the final seasons of his career.
Rich Paul, however, won’t buy this narrative. The famed Klutch Sports CEO, who is also LBJ’s agent, spoke about this during his latest Game Over podcast with Max Kellerman. “You hear all the nonsense about the team being better without LeBron.
I never seen a team in my life that would be better without LeBron James. Still this one not either,” said Paul. “I think it’s more about figuring it out.