The Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James saw their postseason hopes end last week when the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated them. But Fox Sports Radio host Doug Gottlieb is still assessing the severity of James’ recent injury.
In the final game of the series last Thursday, James suffered what was later determined to be a sprained MCL. While this injury isn’t expected to be a long-term ailment, it did affect James’ decision to attend the 2025 Met Gala in Manhattan on Monday night alongside his wife, Savannah James.
“Unfortunately, because of my knee injury I sustained at the end of the season, I won’t be able to attend the Met Gala in NY tonight as so many people have been asking and congratulating me on!” wrote James in a post on X. “Hate to miss an historical event! My beautiful powerful Queen will be there holding the castle down as she always has done!”
Gottlieb noticed this social media post and ripped James, calling him “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.”
“LeBron James had a sprained MCL, and had they won against the Timberwolves, he wouldn’t have been able to play the rest of the series anyway because of the knee injury,” said Gottlieb on Monday’s edition of The Doug Gottlieb Show. “People go back and they show the video after he collided with Donte DiVincenzo, and they’re like, ‘Yeah, he was fine.’ Then after the game, he was limping some when he was in street clothes and Civies walking out. Then today, he tweets out, ‘Unfortunately, because of my knee injury, I sustained at the end of the season, I won’t be able to attend the Met Gala in New York tonight, as so many people have been asking and congratulating me on. Hate to miss a historical event. My beautiful, powerful queen will be there holding the castle down as she always has done.’ That’s from LeBron James.
“Everyone remembers the fable of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, right? The Boy Who Cried Wolf. LeBron James, earlier in the series against the Timberwolves, acted like he got hit in the face, had both hands over his face like he got hit, and then the camera caught him peeking with his right eye to see if he got a call. We’ve all seen it, right? Here’s the thing. It’s like we were taught this as kids. The Boy Who Cried Wolf, and when there’s really a wolf, we don’t believe you. I think you know how the fable ends.
“Do I think LeBron James is legitimately hurt? Yeah, I think he’s injured. Do I think he would have played? I do think he would have played. I honestly think the ‘I can’t go to the Met Gala because I sprained my knee.’ Honestly, stop. Stop. Now, I’m more than rolling my eyes. Now, I’m cackling and I’m laughing at you. You can’t go to the Met Gala? Even if you tear your ACL, you can walk. You’re fine to walk. The MCL is the medial collateral ligament. He didn’t have his leg amputated. He didn’t tear his Achilles tendon. He had a sprain, a Grade 2 sprain of the MCL. A sprain, by the way, is a partial tear. But again, I do think he’s hurt. Do I think he’s injured to the extent that he can’t go to the Met Gala? Stop it right now. Stop it right now.”
Gottlieb and James have, of course, had their fair share of public animosity lately. This stems from Gottlieb’s litany of criticisms about Bronny James, once claiming it would be hard for Bronny to start at his program, the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay.
Maybe Gottlieb is still upset that LeBron James publicly criticized his lack of success as a coach this past season. Or maybe Gottlieb really doesn’t see why James opted not to go to the Met Gala with a sprained MCL.
Either way, it does seem as if Gottlieb went out of his way to go after James here, even if he may be correct that James probably could have attended the Met Gala if he really wanted to.