LeBron James is aware of viral injured players' gimmick before playing Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the biggest teams in the NBA. Evidently, the league does a great job of promoting their games throughout the season.

With that said, every team seemingly wants to bring out their A-Game when facing the Purple and Gold. So much so, that fans have started to notice a recent trend.

Many believe that players who would otherwise miss games to get adequate rest right before facing off against the Lakers. Denver Nuggets' Jamal Murray has allegedly done this multiple times.

It was only a matter of time before LA Lakers players figured out this gimmick. LeBron James recently addressed this trend during the postgame conference after their 119-115 loss vs. the Houston Rockets, using Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving's example.

"Kyrie ain't playing tomorrow, right? They do play tomorrow 'cause it's a back-to-back, so Kyrie be ready and the rest of the guys be ready. It'll be a good one," James stated.

Bron knows about the players resting up for the Lakers gimmick lmao
pic.twitter.com/pFDip2xuJU
— 🎭 (@MaskedInLA) January 6, 2025

Following their recent four-point loss vs. the Rockets, the Lakers will take on the Dallas Mavericks next. However, the Lakers are the favorites to win the game as Luka Doncic is ruled out due to a calf strain.

Apart from Doncic, Kyrie Irving has been in and out of the lineup due to an illness. Kai is expected to miss out on the Mavs game before the Lakers.

But as James mentioned, Irving will be fit when he faces the Purple and Gold on Tuesday as he pointed out that injured players making sure to stay healthy when they face his team.

At the end of the day, this isn't in James and Co.'s control. All they can do is ensure they play at an elite level and win ball games.