LeBron James’s bond with the Lakers isn’t as strong as it once was.
Since LeBron James decided to exercise his one-year, $52 million option to stay in Los Angeles, there has been a lot of discussion about the strained dynamics between him and the Lakers, especially as newcomer Luka Doncic emerges as the new face of the franchise.
Unless there is an unexpected trade, which is unlikely for most teams to pull off, James is set to spend his 23rd season with the Lakers. However, his future with the team beyond the 2025–26 season remains uncertain. Amid these doubts, the future Hall of Famer shared one of his regular workout updates on Instagram last Thursday night, which included a detail that caught the attention of his followers.
In the first photo, he was seen training in front of a huge Clippers logo, and other photos showed him shooting on a court adorned with the Clippers emblem.
Only James knows for sure if he was trying to send a message with these images.
The photos were taken at the Honey Training Center, which was previously owned by the Clippers until they moved to a new facility with the opening of the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., last year.
Klutch Sports Group, owned by James’s longtime friend Rich Paul and where James is a client, recently purchased the training center for its clients. The agency confirmed to For The Win that the photo was taken there, though they have not yet removed the Clippers branding.
This is not the first time this offseason that James has been spotted at a facility not owned by the Lakers, as he was previously seen at the Cavaliers’ facility. However, it makes sense for James to use a Klutch property for his workouts.
Whether James is subtly criticizing his current team remains a topic of speculation, but it does not appear he is hinting at a trade or anything more significant.
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