The Los Angeles Lakers won the 2020 NBA championship on the back of LeBron James and Anthony Davis' incredible bubble performances. However, only two and a half seasons later, the Lakers arguably have the bleakest future in the entire league, as their blockbuster trade for Russell Westbrook before the 2021-22 season has stripped the purple and gold of the necessary role players to compete at the highest level.

In turn, the Lakers have fallen flat on their faces despite LeBron James' best efforts, and there may not be a better embodiment of their misfortunes than James' mishaps with gravity during their loss to the Charlotte Hornets last Friday.

In one play, James was backpedaling to spearhead the Lakers' transition defense. The King proceeded to trip over himself like an oaf, emblematic of the Lakers' uneven play this season.

Meanwhile, another LeBron James sequence typifies the Lakers' putrid season thus far. After a dribble handoff from Thomas Bryant, James pulled up for a triple on the right wing which bricked all the way near the out of bounds line. James tried his best to save the possession, and in doing so, he spilled over towards the first row of the crowd.

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This led to a five on four fastbreak for the Hornets. With James in hot pursuit to even the numbers, he tried to intercept a pass headed towards LaMelo Ball behind the three-point line. The four-time MVP proceeded to not only miss the ball entirely, he also tripped over teammate Patrick Beverley's leg. To make matters worse, Beverley was seen limping in the immediate aftermath of the play.

Gone may be the days where rostering LeBron James guaranteed a playoff appearance, but The King remains one of the best players in the entire association despite the Lakers' 13-20 record. James is averaging 27.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists in 25 games this season, and it's hard to fault his on-court exploits for the purple and gold's struggles.

Still, the Lakers may be constantly tripping over themselves with lackluster shooting or lack of effort, but they have no choice but to get it together if they were to turn their fortunes around this season.

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