LeBron James

Noted Ohio State Buckeyes fan LeBron James was understandably disappointed with the team's 45-23 loss to the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines on Saturday, writing on Twitter that the No. 2 Buckeyes got smoked.

James, a native of Akron, Ohio, has been a fan of the Buckeyes for a long time.

Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Lakers star, who previously played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat, sent the Buckeyes custom cleats for their rivalry matchup against the Wolverines.

Even with those cleats, Ohio State was heavily outplayed.

Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud completed 31 of 48 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns, but he also tossed two interceptions in the loss. Receivers Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr. each posted at least 120 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Ohio State's defense also struggled in the loss, allowing Michigan to total 530 yards and convert on seven of 16 third-down attempts. Wolverines running back Donovan Edwards was arguably the best player on the field as he rushed for 216 yards and two touchdown on 22 carries.

Ohio State's loss put it in jeopardy of not being selected for the College Football Playoff.

Anthony Davis is back to looking like the generational star the Los Angeles Lakers hoped he'd be when they acquired him in 2019.

Davis put up 30 points, 18 rebounds and three steals in 28 minutes during Sunday's 123-92 blowout of the San Antonio Spurs, his third straight game with at least 30 points and 16 rebounds.

The Lakers have won three straight games without LeBron James, who has complimented Davis' recent brilliance behind the scenes.

"We haven't talked about it, but he did say that I'm playing like my old self, so I'm trying to get back into that rhythm," Davis told ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

Davis is averaging 35.0 points and 17.3 rebounds over the three-game winning streak, which has brought the Lakers to 5-10 on the season. James remains out of the lineup with a strained groin and does not have a firm timetable for his return, though he was listed as questionable Sunday before being ruled out.

The Lakers play the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night before having Wednesday and Thursday off and returning to the floor for a back-to-back in San Antonio on Friday and Saturday. It seems likely James will return by one of the two San Antonio games, if not by Tuesday in Phoenix.

"I think everybody's confidence is very high, while not getting too high," Davis told reporters afterward. "Going into Phoenix to start the trip will be a good test for us. But like I said, I think the guys' confidence is high on both ends of the ball going into that game. Which, we want to start the road trip off with a W. Then, San Antonio back-to-back. So, it feels good to get three in a row. Now we just got to carry it over into the road and put some more wins together."

The Los Angeles Lakers didn't play Thursday night, but they may have still been on LeBron James' mind even when he was analyzing the Green Bay Packers as part of Amazon Prime Video's alternate broadcast of Thursday Night Football.

"If you have a transcendent franchise player like Aaron Rodgers," he said (h/t Sports Illustrated). "... Why wouldn't you surround that, when you got the picks, to maximize what he can do?"

Notably, co-host Paul Rivera asked, "Are we still talking football or are we talking basketball?" which led to some laughter on set.

James, Rivera and Maverick Carter hosted the alternate broadcast of the game between the Packers and Tennessee Titans that emulated an episode of The Shop. It included guest appearances from Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey, former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant, and actors Rob Lowe and Jamie Foxx.

As far as the Packers go, they have been consistently criticized and questioned for not drafting enough offensive playmakers around Rodgers, especially in the latter portion of his career. They also traded No. 1 wide receiver Davante Adams this offseason.

While Rodgers is widely regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in league history, the Packers have been to the Super Bowl just one time in his career. That came back in the 2010 campaign, and they have consistently fallen short in the NFC playoffs of late.

But it's difficult not to read between the lines whenever James says something.

Despite plenty of speculation this offseason, his Lakers did not drastically change the roster even after missing the playoffs and play-in tournament in 2021-22. Russell Westbrook is still there, and the Purple and Gold look nothing like playoff contenders.

Perhaps a trade is needed, but Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported earlier this month that the front office is "moving in a direction where they're going to resist moving first-round picks if the season continues to go down this path."

That would mean holding on to first-round picks in 2027 and 2029, which will be used in all likelihood after the 37-year-old James is past his prime or perhaps even retired.

Such a direction may be in the best interest of the franchise, but James surely wants to win now.

The 3-10 Lakers don't look like they'll be doing much of that this season.

You typically can't trade your best player and get better at the same time, but that's the theory Lamar Odom is proposing for the Los Angeles Lakers.

On his podcast, The LADE Show, Odom asserted the Lakers could get collectively stronger by dealing LeBron James because the trade return would be so large:

This offseason provided a compelling counterargument, however.

When Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant requested a trade over the summer, many expected a feeding frenzy to commence. Rival franchises would surely bend over backward to land one of the best players in the NBA.

Then reality set in. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported in August that "teams did not make the kind of roster-gutting offers that was necessary to trade a player of his stature."

The calculus would be the exact same with James because his age, 37, gives you an even shorter window for contention. James has also shown over the last few years he can't single-handedly carry a team into the postseason, either.

If you were putting together a trade around LeBron, then you'd have to build the deal around valuable draft picks because you simply could not afford to trade two or three of your best players.

You'd wind up in the exact same predicament the Lakers are facing.

As much as Odom might hope for otherwise, it's difficult to see another general manager providing Los Angeles with the kind of lifeline he discussed.

SpringHill Entertainment, the production company co-founded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter, is producing a documentary series about hip-hop star Nipsey Hussle.

The Los Angeles Lakers star tweeted out a teaser trailer for the documentary on Tuesday:

In a statement released to Dominic Patten and Denise Petski of Deadline, James called it "an incredible honor for SpringHill to have a part in sharing Nipsey’s story and legacy with the world."

"He used his gift to give back to his community and lived what it means to inspire, empower, and uplift others along the way," James added. "His words, his ambition, and his actions stick with me to this day as he continues to inspire myself, our company, and people everywhere."

According to Patten and Petski, the series will chronicle Hussle's life from his time growing up in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles to his work as a musician and activist.

Hussle was killed at the age of 33 when he was shot in the parking lot of his clothing store in south Los Angeles in March 2019.

Eric R. Holder Jr. was found guilty of first-degree murder in Hussle's death in July. His sentencing has been postponed multiple times. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

A release date for the series has not yet been announced.

The Los Angeles Lakers didn't have LeBron James (groin) against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. However, they still managed to pick up a win thanks to a strong showing by Anthony Davis.

Davis finished with 37 points and 18 rebounds, as the Lakers rolled to a 116-103 victory.

The win put an end to L.A.'s latest losing streak, but at 3-10, the Lakers still appear to be long shots to make the NBA postseason this year. A trade, however, could change the trajectory, and the Lakers could find an enticing trade package in Detroit.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Lakers have had an eye on sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanović since before the Detroit Pistons acquired him from the Utah Jazz:

"After the Utah Jazz dispatched Royce O’Neale, Rudy Gobert and then Donovan Mitchell across the map, rival front offices expected Bogdanovic’s inevitable departure to deliver another of Utah’s proven postseason performers to a team with contending aspirations. The Lakers certainly called, sources told Yahoo Sports."

There are a couple of reasons why making a run at Bogdanović would be logical for the Lakers. The first is that the 33-year-old is flourishing as a shooter in Detroit. Bogdanović has made 43 percent of his shots from beyond the arc and a whopping 50.5 percent from the floor.

That's a level of shooting consistency that the Lakers lack.

The second reason is that, as Fischer outlined on Friday, a trade package could theoretically include another player who has previously interested the Lakers, Alec Burks.

"Were the Lakers to circle back on Bogdanovic, his deal alongside Alec Burks’—whom New York discussed with Los Angeles at last year's deadline, per sources—plus Nerlens Noel’s $9 million salary, would meet Russell Westbrook’s large number," Fischer wrote.

Noel would largely be a throw-in, but Burks could be an intriguing option. He's working his way back from foot surgery and has only appeared in one game this season, but the 31-year-old topped 40 percent from three-point range in each of his last three seasons.

Fischer noted that Los Angeles would likely have to surrender point guard Russell Westbrook and a first-round pick in a trade, and this isn't the first time we've heard of a Westbrook-for-Bogdanović trade proposal.

Last month, Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer reported that L.A. had offered a package that included Russell Westbrook, a future first-round pick and second-rounders in a potential deal for Bogdanović. With Burks also possibly in the mix, this is a trade that the Lakers must at least reconsider.

Yes, Westbrook has started to carve out a role as L.A.s sixth man—though he was far less effective (4-of-15) on Sunday. However, the Lakers' best chance of success would come from having quality shooting around Davis and James, who can create space on the perimeter.

This was a strategy the Lakers employed during their run to the 2020 championship, during which Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Danny Green, Quinn Cook and Avery Bradley all shot above 36 percent from the three-point line.

This season, Matt Ryan and Austin Reaves are the only Lakers shooting better than 36 percent while attempting one or more three-pointers per game. Opposing teams haven't had to worry about the long ball on a consistent basis. Adding Burks and Bogdanović could change that.

The big question, of course, is whether the Lakers still believe this season is salvageable. Sunday's win was nice, but L.A. still holds the second-worst record in the Western Conference. Abandoning a future first-round pick only makes sense if the Lakers believe they can turn things around in a hurry.

While it's not clear how the front office views the team's chances this season, it appears that several key players would like to see a win-now move made, possibly one involving L.A.'s 2027 and 2029 first-round picks. According to Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes, James is chief among them:

"James, who turns 38 next month and is in Year 20 of his NBA career, does not want to waste a season of his high-level playing days in hopes of incoming reinforcements for the 2023-24 campaign, sources say. Other core players on the roster would likewise prefer those picks to be used to elevate this year’s team."

However, Haynes also reported that the front office is "unlikely" to attach L.A.'s future first-rounders in a deal. If acquiring Burks and Bogdanović only requires one of them, perhaps a deal with Detroit could serve as an ideal compromise.

A deal for, say, Buddy Hield and Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers would likely require both first-round picks.

If the Lakers could get Bogdanović and Burks for a single first-rounder, it would add the shooting help L.A. needs while preserving a valuable bit of capital for a future move—or the seemingly unlikely option of drafting in the first round.

It's a trade that the Lakers have to consider, as it would strike a balance between trying to win now, planning for next season and appeasing core players like James.

Interestingly, Los Angeles will get a firsthand look at Bogdanović and Burks when it hosts the Pistons on Friday.

Nets forward Kevin Durant had nothing but praise for LeBron James and Russell Westbrook following the Los Angeles Lakers' 116-103 win over Brooklyn on Sunday.

"Top-two player to ever play, top-three player to ever play. It's always going to be excitement when he steps on the floor," Durant said of James, who sat out Sunday's game with a groin injury. "We've been around for so long that people have seen so many battles between us too at a high stage that people look forward to it. It's cool that we're still relevant at an old age."

Durant also threw a good-natured barb at Westbrook, who finished with 14 points, 12 assists, six rebounds and one viral first-quarter block of his former teammate.

"He's just going to hack me the whole time," Durant joked of Westbrook's defense. "We've been doing that s--t since we was 18, 19. But more than anything, to see the role Russ is playing right now, he's just affecting the game in so many different ways. Twelve assists tonight, four turnovers, 14 points, he came in and put his imprint on the game, so it's always fun playing against him, regardless of what setting it is. It's always been like that between us."

The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Lakers, who entered Sunday night as one of the two worst teams in basketball. They are now just the fourth-worst team in the sport, which is faint praise for a roster featuring three bona fide Hall of Famers.

Durant has spent the early part of his Nets season embroiled in controversy, some of which (the lingering effects of his trade request) was his own doing but most of which (Kyrie Irving's sharing of an antisemitic movie and subsequent fallout, the firing of coach Steve Nash) was not.

The Nets are 6-8 on the season but 4-2 in their last six games.

The walls are closing in on the Los Angeles Lakers, and NBA executives are starting to wonder if it's time to move on from Anthony Davis and LeBron James.

"They need to think about moving LeBron and Anthony Davis," an executive told Ric Bucher of Fox Sports. "They just have too many holes to fill."

The Lakers cannot trade James until after the 2022-23 season because of the two-year extension he signed in August. Davis is eligible to be moved now, though the Lakers have given no indication they're considering such a drastic step.

Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report reported the Lakers have not had any conversations with teams interested in Davis. Any consideration of trading James would be a moot point during this season, but it's unlikely the Lakers would move on unless the four-time MVP requested a deal.

While James is adamant he wants to compete for a championship in his 20th NBA season, there are extenuating circumstances that make him want to remain on the West Coast. His business ventures are based in Los Angeles, and his family has put down roots in the city since he signed with the Lakers in 2018.

The Lakers are losers of five straight games and sit at 2-10. The Houston Rockers are the only team with a worse record, and the Detroit Pistons are the only team with a worse point differential.

Father Time has, to some extent, caught up to James as he approaches his 38th birthday. His per-game numbers remain spectacular (24.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 6.9 assists), but he's shooting just 45.7 percent from the floor and getting to the line a career-low 4.8 times per game. It was clear James' athleticism had waned even before he suffered a groin injury in Wednesday's loss to the Clippers.

Davis, meanwhile, is not a player capable of single-handedly carrying a team to greatness. The Lakers hoped he would be able to bridge these final years of James' career to a new generation of competitiveness, and it's become clear Davis does not have the necessary next gear. He's a stellar second option but not a guy who will carry a team far as the 1A option.

The Lakers are at a crossroads with no good options in front of them.