The NBA season is very very young but Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers off to just a 1-2 start. It’s not a mark you would expect from a team with this much NBA title potential. There is certainly plenty of room for criticism, when it comes to how Lebron and his mates have performed this season, but King James is actually making headlines for his critique of someone else’s work right now.
Perusing headlines on sites like lakersnews.net, you’ll find that Lebron James said that he didn’t care for the ending to Squid Game. It’s a Netflix series, over a decade in the making that’s poised to become their greatest ever non-English speaking hit.
It’s insanely popular right now, having gone so viral that it’s a phenomenon which is basically inescapable (think Tiger King back around the time that COVID-19 lockdown took effect). And once Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk hit back at Lebron James, sites like basketballnews.net just blew up with traffic. It’s the mini-feud that we didn’t know we needed right now.
“Yeah, I did finish it,” James said of Squid Game.
“Yeah, I didn’t like the ending though. I know they start it off with a Season 2, but, like, get on the f—— flight and go see your daughter, bro. Like, what are you doing?”
Writer/director Hwang Dong-hyuk notoriously overcame 10 years of rejection to get Squid Game made, so he has a legitimate reason to be both feisty and defensive about this.
“Have you seen Space Jam 2?” Hwang joked to The Guardian, poking fun not at the Lakers, or James’ game, but his movie instead.
“LeBron James is cool and can say what he wants. I respect that. I’m very thankful he watched the whole series. But I wouldn’t change my ending. That’s my ending. If he has his own ending that would satisfy him, maybe he could make his own sequel. I’ll check it out and maybe send him a message saying, ‘I liked your whole show, except the ending.’”
Maybe we haven’t heard the last of this burgeoning mini-feud? We certainly haven’t heard the last of Squid Game. And the Lakers have a really talented, deep and loaded squad. They’ll inevitably start racking up wins en masse soon.
The Lake Show are the only NBA team to boast three Chicago natives: Kendrick Nunn (who went to Illinois), Anthony Davis and Talen Horton-Tucker, and also a trio of former Kentucky Wildcats. That list also includes Davis, along with Rajon Rondo and Malik Monk.
The Lakers have provided James with a fantastic supporting cast, with which for them to go and contend for yet another NBA title. Having won in it all in 2020, it was the franchise’s 17th title. Only the Boston Celtics have won more.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.