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LeBron James knew the Los Angeles Lakers had a slim chance of taking down the defending NBA champions in the Western Conference semifinals this season.
In a recent episode his podcast, “Mind the Game”, James admitted that the Oklahoma City Thunder was simply more talented than the Lakers in the second-round series.
“I have the passion and the admiration to hoist a Larry O’Brien Trophy up every single year, but I also have a realization of what particular team I have been a part of in that particular year,” James said in the episode that released on Thursday. “And understanding this year, we fought and we played to the maximum ability of our team. But ultimately, if we’re being completely honest, we were out-talented.
“We were not outworked, they didn’t out-physical us, they didn’t outsmart us. I feel like we were just out-talented by OKC. They just possess so much more talent.”
It’s been nearly two weeks since the Lakers’ season-ending Game 4 loss to the Thunder. Now, that James has had time to process the defeat, he said his team was faced with a major disadvantage without Luka Doncic on the court.
Doncic suffered a season-ending Grade 2 hamstring strain at the end of the regular season, which caused him to miss the entire playoff run. The Thunder, on the other hand, had a deep roster that included back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player, Shai Gilegous-Alexander.
May 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) defends Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) in the second half of game three of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
“At the end of the day, we failed in talent,” James said on the podcast. “OKC just possessed so much more talent than us. You can tip your cap to them, obviously, in understanding that. But you can’t get caught up in that, especially when you know you were undermanned.”
The Lakers are now out of the playoffs and have some big roster decisions to make this summer. Meanwhile, the Thunder is currently 2-1 against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals and is looking to repeat as NBA champions this season.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The post LeBron James Admits OKC ‘Out-Talented’ Lakers in Playoffs appeared first on LA Sports Report.
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In a recent episode his podcast, “Mind the Game”, James admitted that the Oklahoma City Thunder was simply more talented than the Lakers in the second-round series.
“I have the passion and the admiration to hoist a Larry O’Brien Trophy up every single year, but I also have a realization of what particular team I have been a part of in that particular year,” James said in the episode that released on Thursday. “And understanding this year, we fought and we played to the maximum ability of our team. But ultimately, if we’re being completely honest, we were out-talented.
“We were not outworked, they didn’t out-physical us, they didn’t outsmart us. I feel like we were just out-talented by OKC. They just possess so much more talent.”
Luka Doncic’s Absence Was a Major Disadvantage for the Lakers
It’s been nearly two weeks since the Lakers’ season-ending Game 4 loss to the Thunder. Now, that James has had time to process the defeat, he said his team was faced with a major disadvantage without Luka Doncic on the court.
Doncic suffered a season-ending Grade 2 hamstring strain at the end of the regular season, which caused him to miss the entire playoff run. The Thunder, on the other hand, had a deep roster that included back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player, Shai Gilegous-Alexander.
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May 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) defends Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) in the second half of game three of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
“At the end of the day, we failed in talent,” James said on the podcast. “OKC just possessed so much more talent than us. You can tip your cap to them, obviously, in understanding that. But you can’t get caught up in that, especially when you know you were undermanned.”
The Lakers are now out of the playoffs and have some big roster decisions to make this summer. Meanwhile, the Thunder is currently 2-1 against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals and is looking to repeat as NBA champions this season.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The post LeBron James Admits OKC ‘Out-Talented’ Lakers in Playoffs appeared first on LA Sports Report.
Continue reading...
