LeBron James explicitly shuts down Anthony Davis report after Mavericks-Lakers trade

James didn't mince words when commenting on a report that referenced his relationship with Anthony Davis.

Jan 2, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23), forward Anthony Davis (3) and forward Jarred Vanderbilt (2) look on in the fourth quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Luka Doncic is a Laker. Anthony Davis is a Maverick. The improbable has become reality after the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles officially announced a league-altering move on Sunday morning.

The aftermath has led all NBA fans to wonder just how we got here. Doncic is one season removed from a finals appearance while Davis and LeBron James led Los Angeles to a championship a couple of years ago. This isn't something you see very often in the NBA.

Following the breaking news of the trade of Sunday night, CBS Sports NBA insider Bill Reiter claimed that part of the reason that the Lakers would've been willing to make a trade is due to LeBron James being frustrated with Anthony Davis. Reiter referenced sources and even flat-out stated "we're speculating this to some degree" while referring to James as 'a little moody.'

Dec 2, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and forward Anthony Davis (3) on the bench against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

READ MORE: Los Angeles Lakers GM thought Mavericks were joking with initial Luka-Doncic offer

"I'm going to tell you something that was true a year ago but I think it is pertinent now and I remember I think I talked to you about this on CBS Sports HQ last year at the trade deadline and Lakers fans got very angry," Reiter said. "But at the time, there was talk within the Lakers organization that LeBron James had grown a little frustrated with Anthony Davis. It wasn't that necessarily that AD was going to be traded...it was just that, 'hey, this is something to keep an eye on' LeBron is frustrated with AD and he doesn't think that it's working and that's because LeBron has very, very higher expectations."

"You fast forward a year later, obviously that reporting, really that information from Lakers sources was accurate. This is probably a slow boil and it's always hard to know with LeBron James...he can be a little inconsistent sometimes, some would say a little moody," Reiter continued. "This is something I heard about and we had talked about a year ago, you never know if just LeBron having a bad month with AD but obviously, LeBron had made the consideration. This trade does not happen without his absolute blessing and approval."

Jan 17, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots the ball against Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"We're speculating here to a degree, I mean, I've got some reporting here that suggests from people that LeBron certainly was involved...there's no chance, there's zero percent chance, at a minimum giving his approval, and maybe a little bit of a shove out the door for AD."

James was quick to shut down the report with an explicit response that let everyone know where he stands. According to ESPN, the NBA superstar was at a dinner with his family when the trade broke and was surprised as he didn't know the deal was in the works.

"You a f-- lie!!!" James wrote along with a clown emoji and an emoji with a long nose, probably a reference to Pinocchio.

You a fkn lie!!! 🤥🤡 https://t.co/EYNRUbUFmj

— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 2, 2025

James and Davis were teammates for the past six seasons with the Lakers, developing into a dominant two-man combination when the two were healthy. They guided Los Angeles to a victory over the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals and were in the Western Conference Finals two years ago.

The 40-year-old and NBA's all-time leading scorer will have a new running mate on the West Coast in Doncic. It'll be interesting to see how James and Doncic operate on the court together in purple and gold while Davis joins Kyrie Irving in Dallas.

The Moving Parts Of The Luka Doncic Trade

Mavericks: Anthony Davis, Max Christie, 2029 Lakers first-round pick

Lakers: Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris

Jazz: Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2025 Clippers second-round pick, 2025 Mavericks second-round pick

---

READ MORE: Here's how LeBron James learned Luka Doncic was being traded to LA Lakers

Stick with MavericksGameday for more FREE coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the 2024-25 Season

Follow MavericksGameday on Twitter and Austin Veazey on Twitter

More Dallas Mavericks News

• Luka Doncic stunned over Mavericks trading him to LA Lakers

• Mavericks stars Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic not selected to 2025 NBA All-Star Game

• Mavericks' concern about Luka Doncic's conditioning led to Lakers trade

• Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki shocked by Luka Doncic's blockbuster trade to the Lakers