NBA fans did not fail to have a good time over the absence of Los Angeles Lakers veteran star LeBron James during the recent NBA 2025 season opening night, linking his non-attendance to the controversial rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Over at social media platform X, NBA fans poked fun at veteran star LeBron James for not playing during the 2025 season opening night, joking that he was out somewhere else with a controversial figure.
“He’s probably at Diddy’s,” one fan said.
He’s probably at Diddy’s 🏡 🧴
— PMollucan 💫✨🇦🇺🇳🇱 (@PAmbonese) October 21, 2025
The recent opening night was the first in his 23 years in the league that LeBron missed to play for, which resulted in a mix of emotional reactions from his fans and critics alike. James has been ruled out for three to four weeks due to his sciatica injury. He would then be subject to another evaluation after the said period.
The rumor mill got some slight traction when UFC fighter Colby Covington publicly mentioned LeBron as part of comments concerning Diddy’s alleged parties, further energizing the gossip across the sports world and entertainment media. Those comments changed the momentum from social media to bigger conversations, as commentators and critics echoed and added the unsubstantiated link.
In the past, James was linked to the controversial “Diddy parties,” as a video of him went viral, where he praised the parties, implying his link to the parties. James, however, never addressed this issue.
Combs was arrested in 2024 and faced multiple charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and engaging in prostitution. His case drew international attention and gave birth to coin tells memes, including the LeBron James video.
Earlier in 2025, Combs was acquitted of most of his charges, but was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He is currently awaiting sentencing, with a maximum potential term of 20 years.
NBA Fans Divided on LeBron James Not Playing on Opening Night
Over at X, fans had divided opinions on LeBron James not playing with the Lakers for the 2025 season opening night. Some remained supportive of the veteran and the Lakers, while others did not mince words in their comments.
“We done with LeBron man, 23 seasons of lowering the standard for greatness and flopping is almost over,” one fan said.
We done with LeBron man. 23 seasons of lowering the standard for greatness and flopping is almost over
— Newgodflow (@Newgodflow11) October 21, 2025
Let’s all give respect to his run,” said another. “Dude gave us quite the show.”
As LeBron James takes on what most fans assume to be the final year of his career, NBA fans are looking forward to see him get back to court soon.
For more sports content:
Follow us @HardwoodHeroics for your NBA and college basketball reading fix. You can reach out to Dan Agulto through email at papadanph@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
