“LeBron James Ruled Out”: NBA Fans Surprised at Lakers Star Claiming Austin Reaves Sent Him Back ‘3 Days’ With His Lob

The Lakers played the New Orleans Pelicans at home on Friday night in a series of back-to-back games. Against a struggling opponent, they put up a ruthless performance and won the game 124-108. With this, LeBron James’ team is now the third seed in the Western Conference. The Nuggets losing to the Warriors certainly helped their case.

Once again, the trio of LBJ, Austin Reaves, and Luka Doncic was at the forefront for the purple and gold army. One particular play in the fourth quarter can be deemed as the highlight of the game.

With a 13-point lead and under five minutes to go, Reaves caught a rebound and threw a great lob up for LeBron. The 40-year-old caught it with both hands and finished the sequence with a thunderous dunk. LeBron had the arena buzzing with his athleticism as fans enjoyed watching him leap over 6’4 Bruce Brown Jr.

A. REAVES AND THEN LEBRON pic.twitter.com/M088UHMgRy

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 5, 2025

After the game, when Reaves was talking to the media, LeBron interrupted his conversation to say, “That dumba** lob set me back three days.” The superstar was making fun of his old age. But the comment surprised many and some fans took this chance to call him old as well.

LeBron James while Austin Reaves is talking to the media: “That dumbass lob set me back three days.”

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 5, 2025

One fan wrote, “He had to go up and get it… Lebron James (old) ruled out.” Looking at the way he is playing, it’s difficult to say that old age is having any effect on his game. If anything, being 40 years old while doing it at the highest level makes LeBron’s dunks even more impressive.

But another fan appreciated that LeBron gave a light-hearted and humorous response to Reaves. The fan wrote, “LeBron always keeping it real—tough love with a side of comedy! Reaves definitely felt that one.”

LeBron had 27 points and eight assists, while Doncic and Reaves had 35 and 30, respectively, in a winning cause.

LeBron James has been hinting at his retirement for a while

Over the last few years, the discussion around LeBron and how long he’ll continue playing in the league has intensified. Understandably, the 40-year-old won’t be around for too long. As much as the official announcement will hurt his fans, they’re now leaning into the bit and making jokes about his retirement themselves.

“Wherever my mind is, is how the rest of my body is going to go, whatever the case may be. I’m not going to play that much longer, to be completely honest. One year, two years, whatever the case may be. I said the other night that I’m not playing until the wheels fall off. I’m not,” LeBron has said about his retirement.

He doesn’t want to stick around for the sake of it and disrespect the game in the process. For now, there’s no reason why the 40-year-old should consider retirement.