Remember when everyone laughed at, and not with, LeBron James for a lame April Fools Day joke that fooled absolutely no one?
No? let me remind you.
Last Friday afternoon, James tweeted that he was officially out for the season after missing two straight games with an ankle injury. The Los Angeles Lakers were already trending towards missing the playoffs — which became official Tuesday — so it might’ve been believable if not for one thing: it was April 1. Everyone’s antennas were already prepared for this type of stuff, so nobody believed him.
And we were all proven right when he played that night against the Pelicans.
I’m out for the season officially. 🤦🏾♂️. See y’all in the fall. 👑✌🏾
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 1, 2022
What happened next, however, probably wasn’t part of the plan. James was ruled out for the team’s following game against the Nuggets due to soreness in his injured ankle. Then he missed the next two games. Then Friday, the team ruled him out for the season.
He absolutely jinxed himself.
LeBron James’ left ankle was recently reevaluated by Lakers medical staff, and it was determined that due to the ankle sprain James suffered in a game on March 27th, he will miss the remainder of the 2021-22 NBA season to allow for continued healing and an expected full recovery.
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 8, 2022
OK, so I know what you’re thinking: “Of course he’s sitting, there’s nothing left to play for.” But that’s not completely true.
Aside from his pursuit of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the league’s all-time scoring record, James was also in position to clinch the scoring title at 37 years old. It’s a small consolation for missing the playoffs, but it ain’t nothing. He could still potentially win it while sitting out these games, but other factors come into play and make it a little harder.
That’s tough luck. And it might be the reason we never see James tweet on April Fools Day again.
