Lakers’ LeBron James drops dagger quote about Hornets’ Mark William

Following the All-Star break, the Los Angeles Lakers returned to action but stumbled with a disappointing 100-97 loss to the struggling Charlotte Hornets. Notably, they faced Mark Williams, a player they had recently backed out of trading for due to medical concerns.

After the game, LeBron James didn’t mince words when addressing the situation.

“He was never a teammate,” James stated. “He never stepped into the locker room. He never came, we never saw him. We know the trade happened, but we never saw him. It got rescinded, and everything went back to how it was before—so nothing really changed.”

The Lakers had initially agreed to trade Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 unprotected first-round pick, and a 2030 pick swap for Williams. However, concerns raised during his physical led L.A. to withdraw from the deal. When asked about playing against Williams, James kept it brutally honest.