LAKERS LOST BEFORE SEASON! LeBron’s Glute Injury Day 1 Has Fans DEMANDING Trade!

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have entered the 2024-25 season under a cloud of controversy, and it didn’t take long for the drama to explode.

Day 1 of training camp should have been a fresh start—a chance for new head coach JJ Redick to implement his system, for players to bond, and for fans to feel optimistic about the team’s future.

Instead, fans were hit with a headline that sent shockwaves through Lakers Nation: LeBron James missed practice due to a glute injury.

The announcement came from ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, who reported that LeBron wasn’t where he wanted to be physically at this stage of the preseason.

McMenamin added that LeBron’s camp urged the Lakers to be “overly cautious” with their aging superstar.

But this wasn’t just a minor bump in the road—it was the beginning of another season riddled with questions about LeBron’s health, commitment, and future in Los Angeles.

Fans immediately began dissecting the timeline of events, and things didn’t add up.

Just weeks earlier, LeBron was posting videos of himself playing golf in the rain, swinging with full force, and engaging the very muscles supposedly sidelined by nerve irritation.

He was also seen playing flag football with Kevin Hart, shooting jumpers in China, and generally living his best life.

Yet suddenly, on the first day of training camp, his glutes were too sore for basketball drills.

The injury, which hadn’t been mentioned during media day, felt suspiciously timed.

Social media exploded with frustration, confusion, and conspiracy theories.

Some fans defended LeBron, citing his age and the wear-and-tear of 22 NBA seasons.

Others were furious, accusing him of sabotaging the Lakers after they refused to extend his contract.

One particularly popular theory suggested that LeBron was sending a message to the front office: You didn’t value me? Fine.

Let’s see how you do without me.

The optics of the situation couldn’t have been worse.

On the same day LeBron missed practice, he appeared on Kai Cenat’s Twitch stream, laughing and chatting with one of the internet’s biggest personalities.

Fans were livid.

How could he have time for streaming, golf, and celebrity flag football games but not for basketball?

The comments section erupted with accusations of trolling and blatant disregard for the team paying him $48 million this season.

This isn’t the first time fans have questioned LeBron’s priorities.

Over the past seven years, the Lakers have endured constant drama, coaching instability, and roster turnover.

Four different head coaches have come and gone since LeBron joined the team, and the franchise has become a revolving door for players.

Young talent is traded away, veterans are brought in and discarded, and the team’s identity has been reduced to a desperate experiment centered around LeBron’s timeline.

Even the Lakers’ lone championship during LeBron’s tenure comes with an asterisk in the eyes of some fans.

The 2020 title was won in the bubble during a pandemic, with no fans in the building.

While a ring is a ring, many wonder if it was worth the chaos that followed: first-round exits, missed playoffs, play-in tournament embarrassments, and now, the Bronny James circus.

The Lakers drafted LeBron’s son, a player who wasn’t NBA-ready, just to keep LeBron happy.

Fans are now expected to cheer for Bronny’s garbage-time minutes while the team struggles to find real success.

The glute injury has only amplified the frustration.

Fans are tired of hearing the same script year after year: LeBron is dealing with something.

Last season, it was a sprained MCL.

Before that, it was his foot, ankle, and groin.

There’s always an injury, always an excuse, always a reason why he can’t be fully available.

At some point, fans have to ask: Is this just what LeBron is now?

A 40-year-old player who can’t stay healthy, can’t commit to a full season, and prioritizes everything except basketball?

Trade demands flooded social media within hours of the injury news.

Fans began commenting on every Lakers post, calling for LeBron to be moved to another team.

“Get him out of LA,” one fan wrote.

“We can’t do another season of this.”

Another streamer asked his audience to vote on whether LeBron should be traded, and the response was overwhelming.

Lakers Nation has officially hit its breaking point.

The idea of trading LeBron might sound wild, but it’s becoming a serious conversation.

Fans argue that the Lakers should move him to a contender where he can chase one last ring while the franchise rebuilds around Anthony Davis.

Let the team start fresh, develop young talent, and build something sustainable.

But will it happen? Probably not.

LeBron isn’t going anywhere.

He’ll sit out when he wants, play when he feels like it, and the Lakers will keep making excuses, managing his load, and planning around a player who’s no longer the future.

The tragedy of it all is that the Lakers had a chance to move on.

By refusing to extend LeBron’s contract, they made a business decision.

But they’re still stuck dealing with the consequences.

Day 1 of training camp, and the excuse train is already rolling.

LeBron wasn’t healthy to start the year—write it down, because that’s the narrative we’ll hear all season long.

So here we are.

The Lakers lost before the season even started.

LeBron’s mysterious glute injury, one that didn’t exist three weeks ago when he was playing golf, has set the tone for another chaotic, drama-filled season in Los Angeles.

Is the injury legitimate?

Maybe.

But the timing is suspicious, the optics are terrible, and Lakers fans are done making excuses.

Seven years of this.

Seven years of watching a legendary franchise become a reality show.

And now, before the season even tips off, we already have our first excuse.

It’s going to be a long season, Lakers Nation.

Buckle up.