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Was LeBron James throwing shade at his own GM while showering praise upon Les Snead?
Snead, the GM of the Super Bowl champion Rams, has famously built the team by acquiring star power through trades – sending away early-round picks for Jalen Ramsey, Matthew Stafford and Von Miller, among others. Buying into the narrative in a tongue-in-cheek fashion, Snead wore a shirt that said “F–k them picks” to the team’s Super Bowl parade.
James, whose crosstown Lakers have struggled to a 27-31 record at the All-Star break, was a fan of the shirt.
“LEGEND! My type of guy!!” James tweeted over a picture of the shirt.
Could this just be a meaningless gesture or a show of respect to a team that shares their city? Perhaps – but it comes at a curious time for that, amid reports that James’ relationship with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka isn’t at its best.
The Lakers didn’t make any moves at the NBA trade deadline, reportedly passing on a trade that would have sent the struggling Russell Westbrook out of town because they didn’t want to part with a 2027 first-round pick. Pelinka said there was “alignment” between the front office and the team’s two stars – James and Anthony Davis – on not making a deal, and that he was trying to weigh the future with short-term success.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, however, reported that any claims of “alignment” between the stars and the front office was “totally false.”
“There was no conversation between Rob Pelinka, LeBron and Anthony Davis on Thursday,” McMenamin said. “There was no go-ahead of an ok to have inaction at the deadline. Where things stand right now, that tells me that it’s not just problems [with] what you’re seeing on the court, with the Lakers losing 6 out of 8, but there’s problems off the court between an alignment, as Rob Pelinka termed it, and his leaders on this team.”
James, at 37, is likely more concerned about the present than the future and watched an opportunity pass to potentially maximize the Lakers’ still-open championship window. A window that inches closer to shut as James ages, and would shut pretty emphatically if he leaves the team.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to think James would prefer a Les Snead-style approach to the methodical one Pelinka appears to be employing. For now, the 27-31 Lakers have an incomplete roster (one that took another huge hit with the report Anthony Davis would miss four weeks with injury), and appear closer to missing the playoffs entirely than holding a championship parade of their own.
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