The Los Angeles Lakers haven’t been among the list of championship contenders throughout the 2025-26 NBA season. By no means are they a bad team, but they are lacking in comparison to other Western Conference juggernauts. However, they have to be taken seriously due to their big three of Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
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James has never been the type of player to speak about team dynamics to the media. But ever since he branched off into controlling his own platform, he has become more liberal with speaking about the Lakers.
The four-time NBA champion understands what makes a great team click, especially in the postseason. He only views one certain aspect as the key to the team’s success.
“A lot of people didn’t think we’re going to play good ball,” James said on Mind the Game. “We’re playing good ball at times, but the number one important thing for us is back to our health. That is going to be the most important thing for our team.”
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The Lakers have struggled with health of their three top stars. Doncic, James and Reaves have all missed a serious amount of games and their absences have had a direct correlation to the team’s 33-21 record. It isn’t a shabby record at all, but could certainly be higher if they were at optimal health.
ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith wasn’t a fan of James taking the easy route with his answer, considering health is the biggest factor for every team. A serious injury to a key player can shatter a team’s championship aspirations in the blink of an eye.
We have seen the impact injuries have had on multiple key playoff teams as recent as last year’s postseason. The Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers suffered the ramifications that came with the injuries to Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton.
“The most important thing is health. Wow, who the hell doesn’t know that?” Smith proclaimed on ESPN’s First Take.
“The most important thing is health. Wow, who the hell don’t know that.”@stephenasmith reacts to LeBron’s comments about the most important thing for the Lakers pic.twitter.com/9lo7MRhYZJ
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 19, 2026
It didn’t take long for Smith’s passion to rise as he continued his rant. It wasn’t even directed entirely toward James, but to players who do the same thing.
“I’m one of those dudes who wants these cats to have their podcasts. Y’all play the game at the highest level. Make sure you always throw in a nugget or something we don’t know. Who the hell doesn’t know health [is important]?” Smith said.
It’s apparent that Smith was looking for a more intricate response from James, but evidently LeBron isn’t biting. It would’ve been great to hear James provide a more basketball-savvy explanation, but the health reasoning will have to do for now.
