LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers suffered a 1-4 upset against the Minnesota Timberwolves, ending hopes for a deep run. On Thursday, former Lakers center Christian Wood spoke out about his former team.
Wood played with the Lakers for a season, serving as a backup for center Anthony Davis. However, knee injuries prevented the former UNLV Runnin’ Rebel from reaching full potential, and the team waived him in February.
Alex Len replaced Wood in the same month. However, Len never had a massive impact on LeBron James and the Lakers.
In his X/Twitter account, Wood subtly hinted at his reaction when he tweeted a cryptic message. He also hoped the Lakers had gone all-out all season, believing they could have won the championship.
“Loyalty hard to come by these days,” Wood said.
Loyalty hard to come by these days.
— 35 (@Chriswood_5) May 1, 2025
“I was hoping / rooting for the lake show to win it all would of walked away with a ring lol..” he added.
I was hoping / rooting for the lake show to win it all would of walked away with a ring lol ..
— 35 (@Chriswood_5) May 1, 2025
Wood averaged 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds with the Lakers during the 2023-24 season. He was with LeBron James and co. when they won their first NBA Cup trophy, although they lost against the Denver Nuggets in the first round. He has never played this season due to his injuries.
The Lakers struggled with finding a key center since Anthony Davis was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. While they got Luka Doncic in return, the team never had the same interior depth, which cost them the early exit.
LeBron James shares insight on star teammate’s future with Lakers
The LA Lakers, led by LeBron James, failed to advance to the Playoffs even with the arrival of Luka Doncic. Despite the star power between them, James made it clear that he wouldn’t try to persuade Dončić to stay with the team, especially given the stage he’s at in his career.
“No, that ain’t my job,” James said per ESPN Dave McMenamin’s report.
“I think—I don’t think, I know, Luka knows how I feel about him. And ultimately, that trade happened for the future. That’s not for me. Luka has to decide what he has to do with his future. He’s [26] years old, I’m 40, so he can’t be basing his career off me. That’s just real.”
James, however, hopes that Doncic will still stay with the Lakers.
“But I hope, obviously, [he stays long term]. Laker fans f—ing love him here. L.A. has accepted him. We love him as a teammate, as a brother. But ultimately, he’s got to make a decision for him. S—, I ain’t going to be around much longer.”
LeBron James has been a cornerstone of the Lakers during his tenure, but with his career nearing its end, he appears focused on making one final push, now alongside fellow superstar Dončić.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
