LeBron James had now lived through year one of the Los Angeles Lakers' experiment of bringing him into a flawed roster. The experiment was defined by a series of puzzling decisions in the offseason, from their lack or urgency chasing after Paul George in 2017 to missing out on Kawhi Leonard in 2018.

After signing James, the front office tandem of Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka prioritized filling out the roster with playmakers over shooters, signing the likes of Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, Michael Beasley and JaVale McGee instead of targeting shot-makers.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin detailed the exchange between James and a reporter, when asked of how the front office went about the grand experiment of building this roster.

“That experiment?” James said of the roster construction for his first season in L.A.

James stared out onto the court for a moment, turned his attention back to the conversation, pursed his lips and stuck out his tongue as he trumpeted air out of his mouth, making a raspberry sound.

“THBPBPTHPT!”

Article Continues Below
More Los Angeles Lakers News
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts after a three point shot against the Indiana Pacers in the first quarter during game five of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden.
Bill Simmons drops Lakers conspiracy theory to give Knicks fans hopeJulian Ojeda ·
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) leave a court after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 94-85 in game two of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena.
LeBron James, Luka Doncic give Lakers their own unique 2-timeline issueAnthony Irwin ·
Feb 28, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) defends LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) during the fourth quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
NBA rumors: LeBron James, James Harden potential free agency departures unlikelyZachary Draves ·
timberwolves, Nickeil Alexander-Walker
1 player Minnesota Timberwolves must trade in 2025 offseasonGarrett Kerman ·
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick reacts to his team losing the lead to the Minnesota Timberwolves late in the fourth quarter during game four of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center.
Lakers’ JJ Redick link up with Les Snead at Rams campMiguel La Torre ·
image thumbnail
Sources: Lakers split on trading core playersAnthony Irwin ·

Johnson and Pelinka had reportedly acted under James' advice, taking from his previous requests with the Cleveland Cavaliers, when he once cried “we need a f***ing playmaker” — yet they ignored the main recipe to James' three championships, surrounding him with capable shooters.

The Lakers re-signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as the lone shot-maker, but he didn't pan out. Josh Hart, an intriguing rookie that shot a whisker under 40 percent from deep last season, regressed, now shooting only 33.6 percent from three.

The result? A backcourt full of non-shooters and James forced to take shots from farther away for a team that wound up 22nd in 3-pointers made per game (10.1) and penultimate in 3-point percentage (30.7 percent).

Yeah, that's THBPBPTHPT alright.