While it’s safe to say that Lakers forward LeBron James has a lot on his plate, on Monday, he found the time to troll Doug Gottlieb.
Gottlieb, current head coach of the Green Bay Phoenix, holds an overall record of 2-24 this season and is responsible for having one of the worst teams in basketball in 2024-25.
“Earned 2 Not Given,” James said. “Gotta give him credit, though!”
He followed the message up with 23 laughing, crying faces and five uses of the poop emoji.
Now, to answer the question everyone is wondering: why is LeBron James beefing with one of the worst college basketball coaches in the country? That answer can be traced back to James’ son Bronny, who the Lakers selected in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
As part of his contract agreement to take over for Green Bay, Gottlieb was allowed to continue his job as a radio host for FOX Sports. The show covers various topics across multiple sports, and when Gottlieb received a call from an individual asking about Bronny James, the first-year head coach chose to call out the talented rookie.
When asked if Bronny James would start at Green Bay, Gottlieb responded by saying, “My answer is, ‘He would compete to start. But while I like how he moves the ball and defends, he wouldn’t be my point, and I don’t view him as a point guard. He doesn’t play point guard. He doesn’t want the ball. He doesn’t run a team. He doesn’t want to defend the point guard. He doesn’t play like point. So, he wouldn’t be my point. My wings are bigger, and without seeing him with us, it would be hard for him to start, to be honest.”
Naturally, the comment made the round on social media, which resulted in many alleging that Gottlieb was simply trolling for clicks.
“When I say it, it gets skewed into the ‘you’re a hater,’ or now I’m ‘just trolling.’ I wasn’t trolling,” Gottlieb said. “I was asked a question, and I gave an honest answer. Bronny James is struggling, and I’m not dancing on his grave. I’m not laughing at him. I’m telling you, I know what it takes to be an NBA team, and I saw all of this coming.”
While Gottlieb may “know what it takes to be on an NBA team,” he continues to show that he doesn’t know what it takes to win games at the college level. Green Bay returns to the court next on Friday, February 21st, against Robert Morris.
