LeBron Says He’s Not Interested In Owning NBA Team
Lakers star LeBron James has spoken multiple times in the past about his desire to be part of an NBA ownership group after he retires, having specifically named Las Vegas as a market he had his eye on. However, with momentum seemingly growing toward Vegas being awarded an expansion team, James suggested on Wednesday that his enthusiasm about becoming a team owner has dwindled.
Asked by Dan Woike of The Athletic if ownership is still something he’s interested in, James quickly replied, “No, I’m not. Not at all” (Twitter video link via Khobi Price of the California Post).
James’ comments come in the wake of a report indicating that Fenway Sports Group – the sports holding conglomerate that counts LeBron among its partners – won’t be pursuing a team in Vegas due primarily to the exorbitant cost of the anticipated expansion fee.
ESPN’s Shams Charania has reported that the fee for incoming expansion teams will likely be in the $7-10 billion range, while The Athletic cited an estimate of $8 billion.
Of course, James’ brief post-game comments on Wednesday aren’t binding, so it’s not as if he can’t change his mind and become involved with an expansion franchise – or buy into an existing team’s ownership group – down the road. Still, it sounds like it’s no longer part of his future plans for now.
It’s also worth reiterating that active players aren’t permitted to own a stake in an NBA team, and even at age 41, James isn’t looking like a player ready to coast into retirement. In Wednesday’s win over Houston – the Lakers’ seventh consecutive victory – the four-time MVP racked up 30 points on 13-of-14 shooting.
After the game, Rockets star Kevin Durant told reporters that he doesn’t see why his longtime rival couldn’t keep playing for several more seasons beyond this one.
“I think he could play until he’s 45 years old,” Durant said of James (Twitter video link). “I don’t know if he wants to be around that long, but I think he could play for another four to five years, to be honest.”
Deandre Ayton Says He Has ‘Bought In’ To Role With Lakers
After airing his displeasure last month with the way the Lakers were using him, Deandre Ayton now says he’s fully committed to succeeding in his role and helping the team win, writes Dan Woike of The Athletic. Since returning from a brief bout with knee soreness, Ayton has been stringing together productive outings and has been a factor in L.A.’s six-game winning streak.
“I’ve completely … I bought in,” he said. “Completely, like 110 percent. I hope you see the work.”
Woike notes that coach JJ Redick‘s reliance on Ayton fluctuates from night to night, as he sometimes closes games with Jaxson Hayes or Maxi Kleber in the middle or goes without a traditional center. The Lakers have been asking Ayton to accept a smaller role on offense than he had in his other NBA stops. His primary responsibilities are to work hard on defense, attack the boards on both ends and blend into the offense by setting screens and rolling to the basket.
The limitations of that role caused him to declare three weeks ago, “They’re trying to make me Clint Capela,” but Woike states that Ayton has been learning how to make an impact on the game without being a primary scorer.
“I scratched that, I took that out,” Ayton said. “I said … when it comes to scoring, we don’t need that. We need you to put that energy what you have for offense and into defense. I just started looking in the mirror and said ‘Yo bro, … you’re not that guy. You don’t need to be on this team doing that at all. This team, you came here to be the effort guy and close out possessions, rebound. Run the damn floor hard as hell, make bigs work, make superstars work.’ And I’m having fun with it.”
The first pick in the 2018 draft, Ayton wasn’t able to achieve stardom during his five seasons in Phoenix or two years in Portland. He was ready for a fresh start after reaching a buyout agreement with the Trail Blazers last summer and signed with the Lakers for $8.1MM this season and the same amount as a player option for 2026/27.
Ayton relishes the thought of returning to the playoffs for the first time in three years, even if it’s in a reduced role.
“I really like that the team is trusting me, man,” he added. “I just don’t want to lose the trust, bro. That’s really what’s getting my juices going and me biting my fingernails waiting to get back in the damn game for real. Just getting back to having fun — I’m not gonna lie.”
Lakers Notes: Luka, Reaves, LeBron, Smart, Ayton, Playoffs
Several members of the Lakers contributed in key moments down the stretch during Saturday’s thrilling overtime victory over Denver, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Austin Reaves was at the foul line with Los Angeles down three and 5.2 seconds remaining, and after making the first free throw, he intentionally missed the second, grabbed the offensive rebound, and converted a floater to send the game to an extra period.
Reaves’ heroics set the stage for Luka Doncic, who converted a step-back jumper to put the Lakers up two with a half-second remaining. The star guard then blocked Tim Hardaway Jr.‘s three-pointer to seal the win, McMenamin notes.
“Just a big-time shot by a f—ing generational player,” LeBron James said of Doncic. “He’s just a big-time player, man. … We wanted the last shot. We wanted to put the ball in our guy’s hands. … It’s going to be just the first of many game winners like that for him in a Lakers uniform.”
According to McMenamin, head coach JJ Redick told the Lakers he wanted them to treat the game like it was a playoff matchup. He was pleased with the team’s effort after the game.
“Is ‘coalesce’ a word? Is that the right word? For coming together?” Redick asked. “I think it feels like we’re coalescing right now in a really nice way. Still got a long way to go, still got a long way to go, but certainly optimistic with how we handled this stretch of games. … It’s big time.”
We have more on the Lakers:
- Including Monday’s victory over Houston, Los Angeles has now won six straight games. As Law Murray writes for The Athletic, the Lakers have beaten three potential playoff opponents (the Wolves, Nuggets and Rockets) over that span and have secured the regular season edge over both Minnesota and Denver. The Lakers spent most of the first half of the season looking pretty underwhelming despite having a solid record, Murray states, but they’re hitting their stride at the right time and are showing they should at least be considered a tough playoff matchup, with Doncic, Reaves, James, Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton all making big plays in crunch time.
- Prior to Monday’s game, Redick discussed the challenges Doncic, Reaves and James have faced trying to find a rhythm when they’re sharing the court together, largely due to injuries to James and Reaves, per Benjamin Royer of The Southern California News Group (Twitter video link). Redick acknowledged James’ current role isn’t one he’s ever played before. “The best thing for our team is (LeBron) being the third-highest-used player,” Redick said in part.
- In a feature story for ESPN, McMenamin details how Smart nearly lost his basketball career by punching a framed photo in his hotel room after missing a potential game-winning three against the Lakers as a member of the Celtics in January 2018. He had a five-inch piece of glass in his hand and said he was rushed to the ER and passed out from blood loss. “The doctor looked at me in my eye and told me, ‘I don’t know how you still have use of your right hand,’” Smart said. “‘You should honestly be thanking God every day.’ … They said it laid perfectly in between every tendon in my hand without damaging anything. And they had to leave the extra piece in, because they said it will cause more damage if we go get it out.” Smart required 20 stitches and missed 11 games, but the glass stuck in his hand continued to bother him years later, he told McMenamin. “For six years after the incident with the glass, I still had glass in my hand and I played with it,” Smart said. “And there would be times where because of that, my hand would go numb. A lot of times, a lot of games, I couldn’t control it. I had to play and there were a lot of times when I’m shooting the ball and just, I had no feeling in the arm, the hand.”
- Smart was determined to turn his career around after a couple of injury-plagued season-and-a-half in Memphis and a short stint with Washington to end 2024/25, McMenamin writes, and the Lakers had a major need for a strong point-of-attack defender who could slow down top perimeter scorers. Smart had 21 points and five steals on Saturday and helped limit Jamal Murray to five points on 1-of-14 shooting in 36 minutes. “He competes every night,” Reaves told ESPN. “It’s not always pretty, but his competitive level’s going to be at an all-time high every single night. And you need guys like that. I think he’s the one that sets the example for us on the court to go out there and play as hard as we possibly can, because you know he’s going to do that. When he’s doing that, every single night flying around, it makes you be accountable to the effort that you bring.”
Luka Doncic, Bam Adebayo Earn Player Of Week Honors
Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Heat big man Bam Adebayo have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the league office (Twitter links). The awards cover games played from March 9-15.
Doncic led the Lakers to a 3-0 week by averaging 37.3 points, 11.0 assists and 10.3 rebounds per game. He came one assist away from registering three consecutive triple-doubles, had 51 points on Thursday vs. Chicago, and made a last-second basket to defeat Denver in overtime on Saturday.
The selection of Adebayo was a foregone conclusion after his historic 83-point game against the Wizards, which represented the second-highest single-game scoring output in NBA history. Overall, Adebayo averaged 41.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals per contest last week as the Heat won two of three games.
Doncic became the second player to win a third Player of the Week award in 2025/26, joining Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. For Adebayo, it’s his second Player of the Week selection this season and the fourth of his career.
Devin Booker (Suns), DeMar DeRozan (Kings), Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Kawhi Leonard (Clippers), Austin Reaves (Lakers) and Victor Wembanyama (Spurs) were the other nominees from the Western Conference. Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane (Magic), Jalen Brunson (Knicks), Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren (Pistons), Brandon Ingram (Raptors) and Jalen Johnson (Hawks) were the other nominees from the East.
Pacific Notes: Warriors Injuries, Porzingis, Lopez, Ayton
The injuries keep piling up for the Warriors. Already without Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, they are dealing with four more injuries, as Anthony Slater of ESPN details.
Draymond Green was scratched 30 minutes before tip-off of Friday’s loss to Minnesota because of lower back soreness. Al Horford departed after five minutes with right calf tightness. Seth Curry limped to the locker room in the second quarter with left adductor soreness and Quinten Post sprained his left ankle.
“We’re going through it,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We’re about as beaten up as any team I can ever remember.”
Kerr expects Horford to miss several games. “With a calf, we’re not going to rush him back,” he said.
Stephen Curry missed his 16th consecutive game and the Warriors have gone 5-11 in that stretch. Now, they embark on a six-game road trip.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- There was a bright spot for the Warriors on Friday. Midseason acquisition Kristaps Porzingis scored 20 points and told reporters after the game that he feels like he’s fitting in, according to Michael Wagaman of NBC Sports Bay Area. “We’re starting to develop a decent feel,” Porziņgis said. “I think guys are getting accustomed to playing with me. It’s progress. We’re getting better for sure. Overall, I think we’re heading in the right direction.”
- Clippers center Brook Lopez is in the midst of his 18th season and he’s aiming for more, he told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “I always had a number of 20 years. A lot of great players played 20 years [whom] I looked up to,” he said. “Timmy [Duncan], Kobe [Bryant]. I think Ticket [Kevin Garnett] got there. That’s always been a goal of mine, but I feel great. So now that we’re as far along as we are, I don’t really want to put a cap on it. Just see how long we can keep going until we fall.” The Clippers have a decision to make early in the summer regarding Lopez. They hold a $9.19MM team option on his 2026/27 contract. He’s averaging 11.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game since the All-Star break.
- Deandre Ayton has developed into the Lakers’ X factor, Khobi Price of the California Post contends. The Lakers are 27-8 when he grabs at least eight rebounds and 24-9 when he takes at least eight shot attempts. Ayton had 23 points and 10 rebounds against Chicago on Thursday. Ayton holds a $8.1MM player option on his contract for next season.
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Doncic, Reaves, Ayton, Injuries
LeBron James returned Thursday after missing three games with foot, elbow and hip injuries, but it was mostly in a supporting role as the Lakers defeated Chicago for their fourth straight win, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. James posted 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, but he took just 13 shots as Luka Doncic (51) and Austin Reaves (30) dominated the scoring. According to McMenamin, L.A. is 8-3 this season when James isn’t one of the team’s top two players in field goal attempts.
“LeBron and I, we talked, we had a great conversation over the last couple days,” coach JJ Redick said. “He wants to do everything possible to help his team win, and he understands the importance of making sure Luka and AR can be at their best. And you know, that’s incredible with him. It speaks a lot to just how much he cares about this team and his teammates, and how much he wants to win.”
Although James is still capable of huge scoring nights, he has become more of a complementary player at age 41. He called Doncic and Reaves “magical and dynamic” on offense and said he’s willing to do whatever is needed to help the Lakers succeed.
“I mean, if it benefits others, it benefits the team. The team is most important,” James said. “Everybody’s successful when we win. So yeah, it is a sacrifice. I know what I’m capable of still doing as an individual, but what’s important for this team, I’m able to adapt to. … And that’s the only thing that matters. And the win is the only thing that matters.”
There’s more from Los Angeles:
- Doncic celebrated his first 50-point game with the Lakers and his highest scoring total since being traded last February. Reaves topped 25 points for the third straight game, which McMenamin notes is his longest streak since suffering a calf injury in November that led to an extended absence. “I obviously have delusional confidence in myself when it comes to basketball,” Reaves said. “But when the game’s over and I’ve got to go home and think about it, I don’t really think of myself in the category of some of these other guys. But I just enjoy playing basketball, playing the right way and continuing to get better.”
- Deandre Ayton is averaging 14.3 points and 10.0 rebounds over the last three games after being sidelined by knee soreness last week, McMenamin tweets. “Felt like I picked up my energy and my focus,” Ayton said. “You know, I finally caught up with the team.”
- Before the game, Redick told reporters that Maxi Kleber is expected to miss more time with a lumbar issue, McMenamin adds (Twitter link). The team is waiting for results after Jaxson Hayes underwent imaging on his back, while Marcus Smart, who sat out Thursday’s contest with a hip issue, may be able to return Saturday against Denver.
Dwight Howard Announces Retirement
Longtime NBA center Dwight Howard officially announced his retirement from basketball on Thursday (Twitter link).
Howard, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2025, last played in the NBA during the 2021/22 season. He has spent the past few years competing in Taiwan, Puerto Rico, and in the BIG3.
The first overall pick in the 2004 draft, Howard immediately became the starting center for the Magic and spent the next eight seasons in Orlando, winning three Defensive Player of the Year awards with the team and finishing in the top five in MVP voting in four consecutive seasons from 2008-11. The Magic made the playoffs in six straight years during Howard’s tenure, appearing in the NBA Finals in 2009.
From 2012-22, Howard bounced around the NBA, spending time with the Lakers, Rockets, Hawks, Hornets, Wizards, and Sixers. He had three separate stints with the Lakers during that decade and won his first and only championship with the team in 2020.
Howard earned eight straight All-Star nods and appeared on eight All-NBA teams, including five First Teams, from 2006-14. In addition to winning DPOY three times, he made an All-Defensive team five times, including claiming a spot on the First Team for four years in a row from 2009-12.
Howard, who played 18 seasons, led the league in rebounding five times and currently ranks 10th on the NBA’s all-time rebounding list. He was also the league leader in blocked shots twice and ranks 13th all-time in that category.
The 6’10” big man didn’t play college basketball but fortified his Hall of Fame résumé by winning an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in Beijing in 2008.
In 1,242 regular season games, including 1,078 starts (31.8 minutes per contest), Howard averaged 15.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and 0.9 steals while shooting 58.7% from the field and 56.7% from the foul line.
Pacific Notes: Kerr, Lakers, Clippers Investigation, Kings
With Jimmy Butler out for the season due to an ACL tear and Stephen Curry sidelined by a knee injury, Warriors coach Steve Kerr feels the need to send a positive message to his team, Matt Leland of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. Explaining his animated reaction to a Kristaps Porzingis three-pointer on Tuesday, Kerr made his comments during an interview on the 95.7 The Game’s “Willard and Dibs” show.
“I’m just trying to really fire the guys up,” Kerr said. “We were, I thought, demoralized at times [in Tuesday’s loss to Chicago]. The Bulls had a big run at the end of the second quarter and I could just feel the air leaving our balloon. Without Steph, without Jimmy I think I have to take on more responsibility, just keeping the guys’ spirits up, that sort of thing. So, that’s probably what you were looking at.”
Golden State has lost three straight and five of its last six games.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Lakers have shown progress on the defensive end in their last two outings, holding the Knicks to 97 points and the Timberwolves to 106 points. Is their defensive improvement sustainable? Even head coach JJ Redick isn’t sure about that. “We’re not gonna be the No. 1 defense in the league,” he said, per Law Murray of The Athletic. “But to be above average, have those two performances against those two teams back-to-back, is really encouraging.” Redick said the team especially needs to improve its rim protection. “Just the consistency of our low man, you know,” he said. “We’re one of the worst teams at defending the rim. That’s not on our bigs, that’s on everybody. So we’ve had stretches, I thought, if you look at our good defensive games, our low man’s really active, our low man is giving paint consequences.”
- The NBA’s investigation into allegations that the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard used a no-show endorsement deal with fintech company Aspiration to circumvent the salary cap has dragged on since September. Investigative journalist and podcaster Pablo Torre, who originally broke the story during the offseason, continues to find more evidence pointing to wrongdoing (YouTube link). Torre uncovered that a 2023 whistleblower complaint was made to the Security and Exchange Commission, accusing Aspiration of fraudulently misusing funds to assist the Clippers’ efforts to circumvent salary cap restrictions to pay star Leonard “an incentivized bonus,” as Mike Vornukov of The Athletic relays.
- The Kings became the first Western Conference to be officially eliminated from playoff contention. Their loss to the Hornets on Wednesday made that a reality, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith notes (Twitter link). Indiana was the first team to get mathematically eliminated this week.
Pacific Notes: Curry, Lakers, Clippers, Dunn
Stephen Curry hasn’t played for the Warriors since January 30 and won’t be back for at least 10 more days. In the absence of Curry and Jimmy Butler, the Warriors’ hopes for the season have begun to flat-line, punctuated by back-to-back losses to the Jazz and Bulls, Monte Poole writes for NBC Sports Bay Area.
In the face of Golden State’s injuries, Poole suggests the goal should be to seize the eighth seed in the West, which would give them a better chance at getting through the play-in. Poole acknowledges that the goal is more modest than what the team imagined for itself coming into the season, but it reflects the current state of the team.
Beyond playoff seeding, there’s another reason it would be beneficial to get Curry back in the lineup sooner rather than later: it would allow him to establish some chemistry with Kristaps Porzingis, who spoke this week about looking forward to taking the floor with the two-time MVP for the first time.
We have more from around the Pacific Division:
- The Lakers are cruising right now. On Tuesday vs. the Timberwolves, they turned a season-long weakness — their defense — into a strength to extend their current hot streak, Thuc Nhi Nguyen writes for the Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles has won six of its last seven games and, entering Wednesday’s games, had passed the Wolves for the No. 4 seed in the West. The Lakers’ players, including hot-and-cold big man Deandre Ayton, seem to have bought into their roles as of late, says The Athletic’s Dan Woike. Coach JJ Redick was glad to see his center put together such a positive game. “It’s great for his teammates to see him have a really good performance on both ends of the floor,” Redick said. “I think it’s bigger for DA to have a game like that against a really good team, one of the best teams in basketball.”
- After registering one of the worst starts to the season for any team with playoff ambitions, the Clippers have turned things around and have clawed their way back to a .500 record heading into Wednesday’s matchup against Minnesota. While L.A.’s 32-32 record wasn’t necessarily what the team hoped for at this point in the season, it means a lot after that slow start, writes Law Murray for The Athletic. “This team, ever since I’ve been here for six years, our guys always continue to keep fighting when our backs’ against the wall,” head coach Ty Lue said. “And I credit all my coaching staff, just for doing a great job, like I said earlier. Just staying with it, being positive, continue to help these guys get better. And you know, to start 6-21 and be .500 right now, it’s a big thing for us.” Kawhi Leonard has been the driving force behind the team’s success, but he knows none of it matters unless they’re ready for the playoffs.
- Another big part of the Clippers‘ success has been the play of 31-year-old guard Kris Dunn. While Dunn has never been much of a scorer, he has become an All-Defense level guard during his time in Los Angeles, his teammates and coach argue. “It’s a no-brainer that he’s definitely a first-team All-Defensive guy,” Lue said, per Mark Medina of Sportsnaut. “He’s a lockdown defender. Usually in the case when you have great defenders like that, they are good on-ball defenders. But they’re not really good off the ball or they’re not really good in team defense. But he’s all of it.” In a wide-ranging interview with Medina, Dunn discussed his desire for that recognition, his back-and-forths with Luka Doncic, and more.
Pacific Notes: James, Kennard, Melton, Warriors Youth
LeBron James is missing his third straight game for the Lakers on Tuesday as he works his way back from arthritis in his left foot, as well as a left elbow contusion. James went through his pregame shooting routine prior to the Lakers’ matchup against the Wolves, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (via Twitter), but ultimately decided that he needed more time before he’ll be ready to return to action.
According to coach JJ Redick, James was a participant in the team’s film session on Monday, but he did not take part in the on-court practice (Twitter link via McMenamin).
After the 22-time All-Star missed the first 14 games of the season due to a sciatic nerve issue, James has been quite durable. Prior to his recent absences, he had only sat out four of the team’s previous 48 games.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Luke Kennard‘s elite three-point shooting is transforming the Lakers‘ attack, writes Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the Los Angeles Times. Kennard is making 56.1% of his outside shots over the last six games coming into Tuesday’s contest, with the Lakers going 5-1 in that span. Nguyen notes that the Lakers were shooting 34.9% from three prior to trading for Kennard and have bumped that figure to 39.2% since bringing in the sweet-shooting guard. Kennard, for his part, is grateful to be able to play with play-makers like James and Luka Doncic. “It’s definitely something you think about like, ‘Man, I wish that was me there getting those open looks,'” Kennard said. “But now it’s a reality.”
- De’Anthony Melton is set to play in his first back-to-back set of the season on Tuesday as the Warriors take on the Bulls, writes Nick Friedell of The Athletic (Twitter link). Melton played just 20 minutes in Monday’s loss to the Jazz in order to ensure he’d be ready for tonight’s game, according to coach Steve Kerr. Melton, who is officially listed as questionable, has scored at least 20 points in four of his last six games.
- The Warriors have one of the NBA’s oldest and most expensive rosters, which is why team-friendly deals for players like Moses Moody and Gui Santos are particularly valuable to the club, Dalton Johnson writes for NBC Sports Bay Area. In a conversation with Spotrac’s Keith Smith, Johnson outlines how these deals that young players can outplay can be crucial for building sustainable teams around superstars, with Smith pointing to Miles McBride‘s three-year, $13MM extension with the Knicks as another example.