LeBron, Lakers Officially Miss Playoffs

LeBron James at the China tour in 2018
LeBron James at the China tour in 2018. Photo by Imaginechina/REX/Shutterstock (9818466f)

For the first time since 2005, the NBA Playoffs will not include LeBron James.

With a 111-106 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night, Los Angeles was eliminated from playoff contention for the sixth consecutive season.

This means that James, arguably the greatest player in the history of the sport, will miss the playoffs for the first time since his second season with the Cavaliers after being drafted in 2003.

The Lakers and fans expected the team to reach the playoffs after signing LeBron last summer. Many experts even expected the Lakers to be a top contender for the Western Conference and NBA titles.

Things haven’t quite gone as planned, though.

LeBron and the Lakers, a young team full of inexperienced players, haven’t been able to compete in the extremely difficult Western Conference.

The blame certainly can’t be lain at the feet of LeBron, however. The superstar is averaging 27.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game.

It hasn’t helped, however, that LeBron has missed 20 games this season. He suffered a hip injury on Christmas Day that kept him out for most of January and February.

This offseason, the Lakers and their management will go back to the drawing board in an attempt to improve for next year.