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via Imago

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A few days ago, former NFL player Antonio Brown crossed all boundaries of what’s acceptable after tweeting a grossly photoshopped image of LeBron James. The post came in the wake of a recent viral video of James chatting courtside with Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and Linda Rambis, the wife of NBA legend Kurt Rambis. However, the lighthearted video took a nasty turn when Brown edited James in a compromising position with two women, who were supposed to resemble Buss and Rambis from the video.

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In the recent episode of Undisputed, journalist Rachel Nichols slammed Brown for publicly shaming one of the most accomplished women in the league. “This woman is the owner of one of the most successful franchises in the entire world and ‘someone’ is demeaning her,” said Nichols. However, former NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson provided a fresh perspective.

Johnson believes that this situation has nothing to do with Jeanie Buss and everything to do with who Brown is at his core as a person.“But think about the ‘someone.’ As much as I love AB and I wish I could help AB in a lot of different ways understand life to a degree. I just can’t put anything in that,” said Johnson. He further added, “They’re communicating with their players.  What’s wrong with that?”

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As Johnson mentions, Brown’s constant need to stir controversy with his provocative social media activity. Earlier last week, Antonio caught flak for sharing an AI-generated photo of Taylor Swift kissing him. He captioned the photo, “Move over Jizelle, what these Swifties talkin bout? #CTESPN.” And these are just a handful of incidents from Brown’s problematic history. However, Antonio Brown saga aside, what does the viral video mean for LeBron James and the Lakers?

LeBron James’ future with the Lakers is shrouded in uncertainty

LeBron James’ future next offseason is shrouded in mystery. James has a $51.4 million player option, which allows him to either opt-in or become a free agent come the offseason. Reportedly, James is planning to spend the last leg of his career in LA and is already negotiating a multiyear, nine-figure contract that would extend his career to age 42. But, of course, such a contract would financially cripple the franchise for years to come. Therefore, while James has expressed his wish to retire in LA, whether the team will agree to his demands is a different story. But James is reportedly trying to win their favor.

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“LeBron is about to go into a summer where he’s trying to negotiate a new contract. He wants the max; he wants $54 million a year for three years until he’s 42 years old. Look, the Lakers have a history of overpaying their aging superstars that they feel loyal to, but still, a little schmoozing doesn’t hurt,” said Nichols. In any case, his future with the Lakers will be one of the biggest storylines to watch next summer.

Read More: Blind To LeBron James’ Induced Concerns, Bronny James Has Never Counted On NBA Career