LeBron James gets defensive over new teammates, then deletes tweet (Photo)

LeBron James called out fans who are poking fun at the age of the Los Angeles Lakers roster, but he quickly deleted his tweet.

As they do most summers, the Los Angeles Lakers already made a few splashy deals this year to revamp their lineup for another title run. The result is — surprise, surprise — the Lakers have some big names on their 2021-22 roster.

However, fans have been quick to notice that this year’s talented Lakers squad is an also aging one.

The average age of the 12 players currently on the team is 31. LeBron James himself will be 37 in December. These are raw numbers that nobody can hide, and of course, it means certain fans will make jokes about how old the Lakers are. They might even be the oldest NBA team in history.

However, the Lakers are not underdogs in any sense of the word. In a tweet he subsequently deleted, LeBron seemed to be trying to write a narrative about Los Angeles being counted out because of “personnel ages.” This is nonsense. The Lakers remain heavily favored to win the NBA’s Western Conference at almost every sports book. Only the Brooklyn Nets have better pre-season odds at an NBA title.

https://twitter.com/RTNBA/status/1423068041479393280?s=20

LeBron James got defensive on Twitter, then deleted his comments

We’re not sure what triggered LeBron to post and then delete his defensive tweet, but anyone who doubts the Lakers because of age is kidding themselves.

LeBron has defied the usual laws of time that apply to professional athletes, winning an NBA championship and Finals MVP at 35 and putting up some of the best numbers of his career well into his 30s. At this rate, he could play another five years or more — long enough to see his son Bronny enter the league.

While they may not have the gift of youth, the Lakers have a ridiculously talented roster that could start five future Hall-of-Famers every night if they wanted to. Don’t buy into the narrative they are “too old” to win another title. Doing so will only serve to keep motivating the King and his own narratives.