It was such a painful loss for the Lakers that LeBron James took 13 days to post anything on X related to the 2025 NBA Playoffs. And it wasn’t Stephen Curry or Nikola Jokic who got a reaction out of him with an epic message.

The Los Angeles Lakers disappointed their fans by losing in just five games to the Minnesota Timberwolves, despite entering the 2024–25 NBA regular season as the third-best team in the Western Conference.

After confessing that the day after the Lakers were eliminated he could barely get out of bed due to the pain caused by a grade 2 sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee, LeBron James turned on the TV, started watching the 2025 NBA Playoffs, and has now reacted publicly for the first time.

Jayson Tatum suffered a torn right Achilles tendon during Game 4 between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks. LeBron saw how serious the injury was and reacted even before the official diagnosis was known, posting a message on X that read “Big Deuce” (Tatum’s nickname) along with four praying hands emojis.

He became the first player to get a reaction from LeBron since the Lakers’ elimination

LeBron James and Tyrese Haliburton. (Photo: Getty Images)

It wasn’t Stephen Curry, nor Nikola Jokic. After reacting to Jayson Tatum’s injury, Tyrese Haliburton became the first player to earn LeBron James’ praise following the Lakers’ elimination from the Playoffs.
“Where are the people who said he was overrated? Calm as hell! That kid is special and, above all, someone everyone would love to play with!” LeBron posted on X about Haliburton.

The level of Tyrese Haliburton that made LeBron James react in the Playoffs

The Indiana Pacers pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the 2025 Playoff semifinals by eliminating the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had finished as the best team in the Eastern Conference during the regular season. One of the keys to the surprise victory was Haliburton’s performance in Game 5, where he not only posted 31 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists, but also earned a reaction from none other than LeBron James himself.