The 2021-22 season was a disappointing one for the Los Angeles Lakers as despite putting together a Big 3 of future Hall of Famers in LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook, they failed to even qualify for the Play-In Tournament after finishing 33-49.
There were a number of different factors that contributed to that from the top down in the organization. One of the lone positives was the play of James as he continued to show he can play at an elite level in Year 19, although he did deal with a few nagging injuries that allowed him to play only 56 games.
With James and Davis both missing key time, the Lakers were never able to truly gain momentum to make any sort of run.
As a result, they have been watching other teams compete for a championship in the playoffs while they are at home. This is not a familiar feeling for James as he has only missed the postseason a total of four times in his career, albeit two have them have been in his four seasons with the Lakers.
James clearly does not enjoy just watching basketball, as he vowed to never miss the playoffs again in his career:
I can/will NOT miss the post season again for my career! This shit HURT. Ok back to watching these games.
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 23, 2022
LeBron sent the Tweet out while watching games on Friday evening. He has been very active on social media this postseason, as has his former Laker teammate Kyle Kuzma.
The two teased a potential Manningcast-like show with the two of them watching and breaking down games together. While that could be fun for fans, James made it loud and clear that he plans on getting back to the postseason next year.
James leads league in 2021-22 jersey sales
Even though LeBron and the Lakers are not participating in the playoffs this year, his popularity remains as strong as ever as he was once again named the league’s leader in jersey sales for the 2021-22 season. He ranked No. 1 in the league in both the first and second half of the season.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!