Is LeBron James-Nikola Jokic duo on Lakers' radar? Debunking rumors about potential superstar partnership

LeBron James has missed the Los Angeles Lakers' last two games for unknown reasons. While some reports say it's due to his sore foot, others report that James is out for personal reasons that have yet to be revealed.

On Saturday, a recent report of the Lakers actively pursuing Nikola Jokic went viral on social media. The report stated LA has been in talks with the Denver Nuggets as they attempt to pair the two long-time rivals. As intriguing as this pairing seems, it's worth mentioning that the reports are fake.

The viral report of LeBron James teaming up with Nikola Jokic was uploaded by a parody account of Sham Charania on X, formerly Twitter, known as "Sharms Charania".

The X parody account has a verified badge and Shams' photo on his official account. Social media users should be careful and always double-check the spelling of Charania's account before buying into the news.

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LeBron James linked with Warriors

NBA: Los Angeles Lakers at Atlanta Hawks - Source: Imagn

While the team-up of LeBron James and Nikola Jokic may be fake news, there have been legitimate reports of the Golden State Warriors actively pursuing the King. Per ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the Warriors are interested in pairing up James with their long-time superstar, Steph Curry.

James and Curry have been rivals for quite some time now. They've dueled in four NBA Finals matchups and eventually became Western Conference foes when the King took his talents to LA.

Despite the two superstars always opposing each other, LeBron and Steph have become good friends. Having that said, it was a feel-good moment when they teamed up for the first team in the 2024 Olympics.

It appears that the Warriors want to run it back and see if the duo of LeBron James and Steph Curry could bring them another title.

But as one league executive told ESPN, the ball is in James' court as he ultimately has control over his situation.

"The Lakers or any team who might want to trade for him don't really have any say in the matter," the executive said. "He's got a no-trade clause. Unless he goes in and tells [owner] Jeanie [Buss] he wants to leave, it's not even a discussion."

LA Lakers head coach JJ Redick recently said that he has no clue about James' status and when he's coming back to the roster. It remains to be seen how this situation will unfold as the trade deadline nears.