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Perhaps more than ever before, LeBron James has been in tons of headlines throughout the 2024-25 season. First, it was because of his son, Bronny James, ing the Los Angeles Lakers despite a short and unproductive collegiate career. Then it was a shocking Luka Doncic that saw the former Dallas Mavericks star become James' teammate. Finally, James' on-court rift with Stephen A. Smith caused shockwaves throughout the NBA media industry.
As a result of all of that, every single one of James' moves is under a microscope for the time being. With the Lakers nearing their 2025 NBA Playoffs debut, everyone wants a story that has to do with LeBron. Apparently, that means completely reaching for one.
Isiah Thomas says LeBron James should be fined for warming up shirtless
On Friday night, the NBA TV broadcast cut to a clip of James doing pregame warmups ahead of the Lakers vs. Houston Rockets game. For whatever reason, analyst Isiah Thomas went in on James, using his decision to do it shirtless as a microcosm for what has gone wrong in the NBA in of "professionalism".
It was a random rant that didn't have much merit, and Thomas was rightfully called out for this take. While many simply pointed to James being an athlete and likely not even knowing he was being filmed on his own home court, several other fans came with receipts.
Thomas got called out specifically for his own lack of professionalism, with the easiest layup of all-time being the sexual harassment lawsuit that was filed against him while he was the head coach of the New York Knicks.
It's another example of media trying to find any way of complaining about James' behavior. It's become a bit odd in many fans' eyes.