What do NBA players do in the offseason? Different players have different ways of going through the offseason.

Yes, there’s going to be some training here and there. However, while they wait for the season to start back up, players find ways to take the stress off. For Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, his answer is the same as many young athletes today: Madden.

The Lakers star is apparently a big fan of the Madden series, which isn’t entirely surprising.

LeBron is an NFL fan, and many NFL fans grew up playing the original Madden series.

What might surprise you, though, is Anthony Davis’ revelation that LeBron James is supposedly a Madden pro (video via ClutchPoints).

““He [LeBron James] told us he beat the 164th best player. in the world.”

Anthony Davis says that LeBron is a ranked pro at Madden 😳”

“He [LeBron James] told us he beat the 164th best player. in the world.” Anthony Davis says that LeBron is a ranked pro at Madden 😳 (via @jointhelobbypod)

Well, that’s surprising, to say the least. Contrary to what you might think, playing Madden at a high level is not as easy as it sounds. The best players in a video game pore through the game for months trying to find every single thing that can give them advantage. If LeBron did indeed beat a top-200 player in Madden, then that’s an incredible achievement. It sound unlikely, but hey, the Lakers star has did more unlikely things in his career.

Does LeBron have a background in football? Well, before playing basketball, the Lakers star was a pretty good tight end in high school as well. Obviously, he never pursued football as a career. It’s clear though that he’s still a fan, as he still supports a few NFL teams.

Lakers’ murky offseason plans
Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) reacts with forward LeBron James (23) during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum.
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Madden shenanigans aside, LeBron, AD, and the Lakers have some issues to work on. After a disappointing 2023-24 season, the front office decided to fire head coach Darvin Ham. As a result, the team has been hard at work looking for a new coach for the upcoming season. They came close to signing legendary UConn head coach Dan Hurley, but the coach decided on pursuing his college career instead.

The Lakers last season were a mess to watch on and off the court. There were times that they looked like world-beaters: the same contenders that made it all the way to the WCF the season prior. However, more often than not, they looked disjointed. Ham certainly had his faults; he was overmatched as a head coach and didn’t offer a lot from the bench. That being said, the team was also poorly built. This has been a problem for the Lakers since forever.

The first step to fixing this Lakers team is to find a competent head coach to lead the way. After Hurley’s decision, the next candidate most likely to be hired is former NBA star JJ Redick. Redick has no prior experience as a head coach, so his inclusion in the process is… interesting, to say the least.

After hiring their next coach, the Lakers will now turn their attention to their roster. It’s painfully clear that this team has serious flaws, and their new head coach will shape most of their decisions moving forward.