The Los Angeles Lakers are losing basketball games and falling well short of expectations. So this is the perfect time for LeBron James to send out an ominous tweet with no context to not just generate conversation in the basketball community, but to potentially help set the wheels of change in motion for a team in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint.
James tweeted out an hourglass emoji early Wednesday morning just hours after the Lakers fell 138-122 to the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. The loss dropped the team's record to below the .500 mark at 24-25, which is good enough for ninth in the Western Conference and just half a game away from falling out of the play-in tournament completely.
⌛️
— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 31, 2024
What Does the hourglass represent?
It was revealed later in the day that James was going to be partnering with Draft Kings on a multi-year contract as a talent ambassador to share his NFL picks with the world. The hourglass could very well have been a countdown to the announcement, but based on the fact that the emoji was sent out at 2:26 a.m. ET in the morning following a frustrating defeat, that would seem highly unlikely.
👑 x 👑!!! Football season just got A LOT more fun. 🏈😁🙏🏾 Let’s go! @DraftKings #DKPartner pic.twitter.com/kyNaq3WBZm
— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 31, 2024
James is no stranger to publishing tweets that confuse the masses. He's well aware of the power and reach he holds on social media, knowing every tweet he sends will be examined with great detail and care to perhaps uncover a deeper meaning.
Maybe It’s Me
— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 6, 2023
James isn't a patient man, but he's earned the right to be that way as one of the greatest of all time.
We've seen teams of his undergo wholesale changes in swift fashion to best equip him with the tools to compete for the Larry O'Brien trophy. It was back in 2018 during his final season with the Cleveland Cavaliers when the franchise underwent a complete makeover at the trade deadline by moving the likes of Dwyane Wade, Isaiah Thomas, and Derrick Rose to bring aboard young blood in Jordan Clarkson, Rodney Hood, and Larry Nance Jr.
Truly, the hourglass represents time on a multitude of levels. For starters, James is 39 years of age and in his 20th season in the Association. He's played at a such a high standard that no player hovering around that number has come close to replicating, but as the saying goes, Father Time is undefeated.
Right on target 🎯 pic.twitter.com/eCx55aaCSP
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 31, 2024
James is also no longer the clear-cut best player in the NBA, either. That's not to suggest he doesn't belong in the conversation, but with the likes of Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Stephen Curry there to fend off in the West alone, the path back to the Finals is infinitely more arduous than perhaps its ever been.
General manager Rob Pelinka can't wave a magic wand and vault the Lakers back into contention overnight because such a trade doesn't exist. There are still moves to be made to raise Los Angeles' ceiling a smidge, perhaps by acquiring Dejounte Murray from Atlanta for a package revolving around D'Angelo Russell that's been rumored for quite some time.
But LeBron isn't in the business of just getting into the playoffs. His mantle has four championships prominently displayed, one of which came with the Lakers during the Bubble season in 2020. He wants to close out his career on a high note, and that means playing hoops well into the month of June.
The sands of time wait for no one, though, and that includes the King himself.
