Sports
Hernández: How committed is LeBron James to the Lakers after Luka Doncic trade?
As it was, the Lakers were reluctant to sacrifice their future for the sake of building the best possible team around a 40-year-old version of LeBron James.
Now, with the Lakers trading for the Next LeBron, was the Old LeBron concerned they could further prioritize the future over the present?
“What’s wrong with that?” James replied.
Before I could remind him of his public campaigns to directly or indirectly shame Lakers management into improving the roster in the weeks leading up to every recent trade deadline, he continued, “If I had concerns, I would’ve waived my no-trade clause and got up out of here.”
The declaration wasn’t entirely convincing, not because of what he said but because of how he said it.
His body language certainly didn’t project enthusiasm at the prospect of remaining with the Lakers for the remainder of his career, as his voice was monotone and his lips were pursed.
I asked James if he still envisioned retiring with the Lakers. Just five weeks ago, he said that was “the plan,” but he could become a free agent this summer by declining a player option for the 2025-26 season.
“I mean, listen, I’m here right now,” James said. “I’m here right now. I’m committed to the Lakers organization.”
More specifically, he said he was committed to helping integrate the team’s three newly-acquired players.
“As a leader of the team, as one of the captains of the team, it’s my job to make it as seamless as possible,” James said.
So he didn’t waive the no-trade provision in his contract — for now. He’s here — for now. He didn’t say he didn’t want to retire with the Lakers, but he didn’t say he wanted to either.
Maybe James didn’t want to look or sound overly delighted with his team’s overnight transformation out of respect to his handpicked sidekick and close friend Anthony Davis, who was unceremoniously traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Maybe James was concealing how upset he was.
Or, more likely, maybe James didn’t know what to think about how the Lakers suddenly went from being his team to Luka Doncic’s.
James is notoriously passive-aggressive. He often refrains from explicitly saying what he wants, but he usually finds a way to convey how he’s feeling.
When he declined to say at the end of last season whether he thought he might have played his last season for the Lakers, he was basically calling on them to surround him with better players and draft his son Bronny. When he said last month that the Lakers had to play “close-to-perfect basketball” to win, he was demanding they upgrade the team.
His words after the Lakers’ 122-97 victory over the Clippers on Tuesday night at the Intuit Dome were uncharacteristically hard to decipher.
Why?
Probably because he was still trying to figure out how the trade for Doncic would affect him.
James has spent his entire 22-year career as the most important person on every team on which he’s played, and that counts the teams’ owners. He influenced the construction of rosters, which were designed to magnify his virtues, and rightly so. He’s one of the greatest players of all time.
Even in this final stage of his career, James has wielded significant power over the Lakers. He might have lost the ability to carry a team to a championship on his own, but his stardom offered an otherwise incompetent franchise something to sell. As long as the Lakers had James, they were relevant. So when James wanted them to draft his son, they did.
Doncic cost James his leverage. Before finalizing their trade for Doncic, the Lakers should have been frightened by the thought of James retiring, as it would have sent them into the kind of Dark Age they endured between Kobe Bryant’s retirement and James’ arrival. Doncic might not deliver the Lakers a championship, but he will provide them with an identity. In addition to being a generational scorer, the Slovenian also speaks Spanish, which could help him connect with his heavily-Latino city in ways James never could.
General manager Rob Pelinka said earlier in the day at Doncic’s introductory news conference, “Luka will be at the center of what we build long-term.” Pelinka never mentioned James.
James, who was unaware a trade was in the works until it was completed, said the magnitude of the deal shocked him.
“I ain’t never seen this one,” he said. “I have seen it all up until this one. I have never been part of one transaction like that. That was different.”
Since the death of owner Jerry Buss, the Lakers have been known to take the path of least resistance. In this case, that would be for James and Doncic to play well together, for the two players to lead the Lakers to a title, and for the ageless James to teach the soft-bodied Doncic how to take better care of himself.
Such a scenario would count as a win for everyone involved, and James has started the process of building a relationship with Doncic, sitting next to the sidelined newcomer on the bench during the Lakers’ win over the Clippers and sharing his admiration of him after.
“Luka’s been my favorite player in the NBA for a while now,” James said.
For his part, Doncic said he has long admired James from a distance and said playing alongside him would be “a dream come true.”
The partnership could very well be a failure, however. James and Doncic both like to have the ball in their hands, and at least one of them will have to figure out how to play off the ball. The team’s defense could also be problematic, especially if the Lakers don’t land a center before the trade deadline on Thursday. James was solid defensively against the Clippers, but how consistent can he be on that end of the floor at his age? Doncic and Austin Reaves can guard only the most limited offensive players.
“It’s kind of hard right now to digest what it’s going to look like on the floor,” James acknowledged.
That’s probably why James was unclear about his future.
By playing for the Lakers as long as he has, James has shown he values living in Los Angeles more than he does winning another championship. The smart money would be on him to finish his career with the Lakers.
But what if the Lakers don’t want to re-sign him when he becomes a free agent after next season? What if the team wavers in its commitment to develop his son?
The choice might not be his.
For the first time in his career, LeBron James isn’t in control.
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After a slow first round at Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia on Thursday, pace of play was a point of emphasis at the PGA Championship on Friday.
However, when an official approached Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley, they became animated.
Thomas, a longtime Team USA Ryder Cup member, and Bradley, last year’s United States captain, were on the fourth hole when they were approached by an official in a cart, and the conversation quickly turned into finger-pointing.
Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley watch from the tenth green during the second round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Thomas said after the round that he, Bradley and fellow USA Ryder Cupper Cameron Young, who won the Cadillac Championship earlier this month, were put on the clock, with the official telling them to pick up the pace. However, both Bradley and Thomas appeared to point at the group in front of them.
“We just didn’t really agree with it,” Thomas said, citing course conditions, high winds and tough pins. “We were behind. That wasn’t our issue… It’s just the fact that we weren’t holding up the group behind us.”
Thomas said they were caught up with the pace on the very next hole.
Justin Thomas plays his shot on the 15th tee during the second round of the PGA Championship in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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Thomas had a lengthy conversation with the official, while Bradley appeared to make his point short and sweet — though he was definitely not happy with the call.
It is a large PGA Championship field, with 156 golfers at the course and groups even starting their rounds on the back nine. The scores have also been rather high, with just 25 players below par at the time of publishing.
Aronimink also features a shared tee box on 1 and 10, holes 9 and 17 crossing paths, and a lengthy par-3 eighth hole that’s causing problems. Three par-3s are over 200 yards on the course, and there is also a 457-yard par 4 on the fourth.
Keegan Bradley prepares to putt on the 14th green during the first round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 14, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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As Chris Gotterup put it on Friday, “You’re not going to get any four-and-a-half hour rounds out here.”
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The Sparks are finally in the win column, but the outcome was in doubt late Friday night.
Behind double-digit scoring from all five starters, the Sparks had by far their best offensive showing of the season, shooting 63.8% during a 99-95 win over the expansion Toronto Tempo.
The Tempo didn’t make things easy, cutting the deficit to two points late and later trailing by just three with 31 seconds remaining and possession of the ball. Marina Mabrey missed a three-point attempt before late Tempo fouls gave the Sparks enough of a cushion to win.
Kelsey Plum nearly claimed a double-double with 27 points and nine assists, while Dearica Hamby had 19 points with seven rebounds and Nneka Ogwumike scored 20 points.
Erica Wheeler, who started in place of Ariel Atkins (concussion), scored 10 points with seven assists and was a plus-16 as the primary ball handler after starting the season two for 16 from the field. That freed up Plum to be in position to score, setting up a much more efficient Sparks offense.
Toronto was shorthanded in the frontcourt without starting center Temi Fagbenle (right shoulder), and the Sparks trio of bigs had a field day with 54 points in the paint.
The Sparks came out firing on Friday, opening with a 17-2 run.
The Tempo went on a 10-0 burst heading into the second quarter but the Sparks countered to maintain momentum and led 46-38 at halftime.
A Wheeler three-pointer early in the third quarter gave the Sparks a 20-point lead. The Tempo cut it to three midway through the fourth while Brittany Sykes (27 points, seven assists) sparked Toronto’s rally. The Tempo put up more shots than the Sparks, 70-58, largely because of a 10-2 offensive-rebounding gap.
Cameron Brink’s 10 points were the only ones provided by the Sparks’ bench, while the Tempo got 42 points from reserves.
Toronto was coming off its first win in franchise history on Wednesday when it defeated Seattle but struggled against a more complete offensive team in the Sparks.
In her return to Los Angeles after winning a national championship with UCLA this spring, Tempo rookie Kiki Rice netted 11 points.
Kate Martin made her Sparks debut as a developmental player with Atkins and Sania Feagin (lower left leg) unavailable and picked up one rebound in six minutes.
The Sparks will face Toronto again on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.
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The WNBA season has been in session for about a week, so it is far too early to make assumptions about teams. That doesn’t mean we won’t make them; it’s just too early to really believe it. I lost my first WNBA bet this season, so I’m hoping to avenge that loss here as the Sky take on the Mercury.
The Chicago Sky are one of the most poorly run franchises in basketball. They have had some great names on their team and only one championship to show for it.
Phoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner shoots over Indiana Fever guard Aerial Powers in the first half at PHX Arena. (Rick Scuteri/Imagn Images)
There really isn’t a clear indication of what is wrong with the franchise, but they’ve never been able to retain their talent. Aside from Kamilla Cardoso, I can’t name a player on this team that they’ve actually drafted. They just seem to get good players and then show them the door.
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Even though they’ve had questionable front office decisions, they seem to have put together a solid team for this season – something I didn’t expect before the season started.
They are 2-0, which is too early to really say they are a good team. I also want to reserve judgment until they face a team with a longer history than last year. The Portland Tempo played their first-ever game against the Sky, and Golden State was good last year, but still is in just their second season of existence.
The Phoenix Mercury are actually considered one of the best franchises in the league. I’m sure there are issues that people have reported, but for the most part, they have good facilities, and people want to play for their team. They made it all the way to the WNBA Finals last season before falling to the Las Vegas Aces. This year, they are looking to restart that journey and see if they can win the last game of the year.
Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper dribbles the ball in the second half at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C., on July 27, 2025. (Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images)
It will need to come with some better play than they’ve shown through three games this year. They are just 1-2 for the year with a 0-1 home record. The lone win was a blowout victory over the Aces (a clear revenge game if we’ve ever seen one). Then they lost the next two games against Golden State and Minnesota. Losing to the Lynx wouldn’t be a problem, but they didn’t have Napheesa Collier, who still has an ankle injury.
I expect the Mercury to make some adjustments for this game. They haven’t looked very crisp to begin the year, but they’ve been strong on offense, averaging 87 points per game.
The Sky are going to keep relying on their offense to do just enough and their defense to lock in. The Sky do have an edge on the interior, so they can get buckets fairly easily down low. I like the over 166.5 in this game.
Chicago Sky guard Skylar Diggins chases the ball during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on May 13, 2026. (Bob Kupbens/Imagn Images)
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I also think it is worth betting on Kahleah Copper to go over her point total. Copper had two rough games before she broke out in the last game. Now she has the same sight lines and can attack the bigs from the Sky with her athleticism. Since going to Phoenix, she has scored 29, 7, 16, 25 and 28 points in five games against them.
For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024
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