The Los Angeles Lakers are off to a 7-3 start to the 2025-26 NBA season through their first 10 games, and they’ve done it all without LeBron James. The 40-year-old has been out all season with sciatica.
One of James’ all-time rivals, Paul Pierce, wants to see James end his career the same way he did: on the bench. Pierce suggested Lakers coach JJ Redick bench James because his game doesn’t fit alongside Luka Doncic.
“When LeBron comes back, LeBron gotta come off the bench. The way you want it to work, you’ve got to come off the bench. If I’m Bron, I wouldn’t be feeling that…I’m just saying, it’s for the chemistry of it. He can still give you the same production, and off the bench, it would work. Because his game and Luka (Doncic’s) game don’t work,” Pierce said on the “KG Certified” podcast.
In no uncertain terms, you’d be more likely to find James demanding a trade and not playing another minute for Redick than any other result if he came to James with that suggestion. Pierce is clearly not fond of James by suggesting that, even if it does make some sense from a basketball perspective.
Key word “some” sense. Sure, James and Doncic are an overlapping basketball fit, but we know James and Austin Reaves work well together. That was under the previous head coach and a different offensive system, but there’s quite literally no substitute for on-court results.
It’s unclear what James’ role on the team will be whenever he returns to the floor. He may have to shift to a more traditional big man or wing. Redick would do well to stagger his stars’ minutes, if anything.
Just never expect to see James come off the bench unless he explicitly states he wants to. This is the most powerful man the game has ever seen that we’re talking about here. And not one who’s afraid to leave if things aren’t going his way.
Pierce is just planting seeds of doubt in his rival fanbase. While Pierce became a journeyman in his career, he’ll always bleed Boston Celtics green.