Kendrick Perkins Launches Blistering Attack at LeBron James, Urges Lakers to Trade GOAT Candidate

LeBron James and the LA Lakers couldn't give a Christmas Day present, as they suffered a 119-96 loss to the Houston Rockets. The Rockets dominated the Lakers in almost every area, and the latter didn't stand a chance. After the contest, former NBA player Kendrick Perkins had a blistering attack on James.

The star forward finished the game with 18 points, five assists and two steals. In his 32 minutes of action, he only shot 13 times.

On Friday's episode of ESPN's First Take, Perkins criticized how the four-time champion performed. According to him, he saw that James was disengaged throughout the game. Perk said his body language spoke loudly about how he performed.

Following this, the 2008 champion proposed that James and the Lakers part ways. Perkins said that the superstar doesn't believe in the current group the team has assembled.

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“LeBron and the Lakers relationship has run its course, and they need to figure out a solution and the solution is him not being in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform,” Perkins said. “He knows that this roster is not built…” he continued. “He knows that this roster don’t have enough. Rich Paul just said it on his podcast, that the Lakers are not legit title contenders."

The GOAT candidate wants to add another championship to his resume. However, the Lakers haven't been competitive since they won the title in 2020. LeBron James is also close to retiring, but hasn't given a definite plan on when that will happen. Until then, many believe that he wants to remain competitive.

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LeBron James' lack of effort on defense gets criticized by an NBA reporter

Defense has been the main issue for LeBron James and the Lakers this season. Fans and analysts have criticized the stars for their lack of effort in that area. Their loss to the Rockets was no different.

The Athletic's Sam Vecenie called James out for the disappointing defensive showing he had against Houston.

"Respect the hell out of LeBron, unbelievable player obviously. But his effort on defense hasn't been good enough this year, and some of these offensive rebounding clips from Houston are egregious on his part," the reporter posted on X.

Even coach JJ Redick was underwhelmed with the effort that the Lakers showed on defense. During his postgame presser, he warned the players that their practice on Saturday would be "uncomfortable." However, he did not mention any player to blame for their loss.

LeBron James and the Lakers are on a three-game losing skid. During that stretch, the team has dealt with blowout losses. The recent span of games has not been a good look. They were the second-best team in the Western Conference and are now at the No. 4 spot with a 19-10 record.

Edited by Reign Amurao