LeBron James canceled a planned round of golf with former teammate J.R. Smith after learning that Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves would miss the remainder of the season, according to an April 10 report. The Los Angeles Lakers star decided to focus on leading his team as they approach the playoffs without two key players.
The injuries to Doncic and Reaves come at a critical time for the Lakers, who had been playing their best basketball heading into the postseason. With both sidelined, James is expected to take on a larger role in an effort to keep the team’s playoff hopes alive.
Smith said that James texted their group chat from Dallas, explaining why he needed to cancel their golf outing. “It’s funny, he texted the group chat because it was in Dallas when he was playing, and we were supposed to play golf he’s like, ‘Man, I can’t play golf, bro, I got too much on my shoulders right now. If this was five years ago I would have definitely played,'” Smith told Yahoo Sports. “It’s tough, man. It’s always next-man-up mentality so I’m excited to see who can possibly step up for them.”
James has often carried teams through challenging playoff runs during his career but faces added difficulty due to his age and increased workload this season. Head coach JJ Redick will need to find new ways for the team to compete without two of its main contributors.
Despite these setbacks, there remains hope within the organization that other players will rise up in response—a sentiment echoed by Smith’s comments about adopting a next-man-up mentality.
James’ commitment extends beyond basketball; he recently appeared as a golfer in a Nike Powerbeats Pro 2 commercial highlighting his interest in mastering new challenges outside of sports.
