Luke Walton Makes Bold Revelation About Lakers Shutting Down LeBron

LeBron James finished his season earlier as the team decided to shut him down. Head coach Luke Walson said LeBron wanted to finish out the season, but there were a few things that changed the way he ended the season.

LA confirmed that LeBron will miss the final six games to improve his condition and heal completely.

“He wants to play,” Walton said ahead of the Lakers’ road game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. “But it’s one of those things where the medical staff just finally said, ‘Look, it’s just not worth it anymore. Let’s make sure you have a healthy summer.’ So that’s the decision that was made, and we’ll move forward without him on the floor for the final six.”

LeBron finished the season with an average of 27.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists in 55 games. The Lakers will miss the playoffs, cutting LeBron’s personal streaks of 13 straight playoff appearances.

But, why didn’t they shut down LeBron earlier in the season?

“Well, I think that goes back to him wanting to compete,” Walton said. “Even though it’s over, he wants to be out there playing with his guys. Eventually, as that time goes on and on, it’s easier to tell someone like that, ‘Let’s take care of your health right now.’ So that’s kind of how the decision came. He’s going to be in the weight room working out. He’s going to do everything he can to take care of himself and his body.”

According to Walton, LeBron’s presence is important for the team.

“I think it’s good for the guys,” Walton said. “You know part of going into this season was, ‘Look, we’re putting you with a lot of young players. There’s a lot of new guys, as far as the free agents coming in and whatnot.’ So the more time that ideally they’d spend together on the floor would be beneficial, but any time they can get together off the floor I think helps for down the road as well.”

We also know that the team called out LeBron for his body language, but they worked it out. It seems like they are a big LA family now.