NBA insider John Gambadoro claims that LeBron James and Austin Reaves are not happy playing alongside Luka Doncic, despite their solid on-court chemistry.
Despite some impressive on-court chemistry between Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves during their brief time together with the Lakers, NBA insider John Gambadoro revealed on the Burns and Gambo Show that things may not be as smooth off the court.
“LeBron does not like playing with Luka,” Gambadoro said, per Yahoo Sports. “Reaves does not like playing with Luka. Reaves does not like getting the ball with two seconds left on the shot clock. LeBron is not fond of playing with Luka. The Lakers are going to turn their attention to build around Luka, not LeBron.”
He continued, “So, this is Luka’s team now… He’ll probably come back, but I wouldn’t say it’s a guaranteed no-brainer LeBron comes back to the Lakers because there are guys that don’t like playing with Luka.”
This surprising report suggests a shift in team dynamics, with Luka positioned as the franchise’s new cornerstone — a status LeBron James has held for nearly two decades.
Gambadoro also questioned if James is struggling with the reality of sharing the spotlight for the first time in his career.
What makes the story even more intriguing is that LeBron has publicly praised Luka’s game and never voiced any public frustrations about playing alongside him. Historically, James has openly criticized teammates before, but not Luka.
Looking at Reaves’ numbers provides a different perspective on their relationship. In games without Luka last season, Reaves averaged solid stats: 19.8 points, 6.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and shot 45% from the field and 36.2% from three.
When playing alongside Luka, Reaves actually improved his production, averaging 21.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, with better shooting splits — 47.9% from the field and 40.2% from deep.
So far, Doncic’s arrival hasn’t hurt Reaves offensively; instead, it appears to have boosted his efficiency and scoring. The bigger concern when these two share the court has been defense.
Both Doncic and Reaves have been targeted by opponents, notably the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs, which contributed to the Lakers’ early exit in five games.
