No Met Gala Glam for LeBron James After Painful Playoff Exit

LeBron James has withdrawn from the Met Gala, which is scheduled for later tonight. The basketballer announced the decision via a social media post.

LeBron was made an honorary chair at this year's edition of the annual event, but will not attend, with his wife notably taking his place.

The basketballer's announcement comes following his team, the Los Angeles Lakers', disappointing 4-1 Playoff loss to the Anthony Edwards-led Minnesota Timberwolves.

On Monday, LeBron announced he won't attend the 2025 Met Gala due to an injury.

He did so via a post on his official X account, writing, "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."

The 40-year-old hooper shared that "so many people have been asking and congratulating" him on his role as honorary chair at the Met Gala.

He also said he was gutted to "miss" the "historical event!" Although LeBron won't attend, his beautiful wife, Savannah James, would do so in his place.

The basketballer wrote, "My beautiful powerful Queen will be there holding the castle down as she always has done!"

Many of LeBron's fans were disappointed that he would miss the Met Gala and expressed their feelings.

One person urged the NBA icon to do whatever was possible to attend the event. They wrote, "Mr. James I'm crying and throwing up at the thought of not seeing you at the Met Gala tonight. Please get some crutches or a wheelchair and do what you have to do to be there. Your fans deserve this!"

Another person wrote, "Bummed you won't be there man, that's the only reason I watch. Maybe next year."

A third fan added, "Classy message. Wishing you a speedy recovery, King. The Met Gala will miss your presence, but your Queen shining solo will make it iconic. True royalty moves as one—even when one is sidelined."

They concluded by asking LeBron, "Which look were you most excited to wear tonight?"

Another fan wrote, "You won't be at the Met Gala? I'm utterly heartbroken."

On the other hand, some netizens felt Lebron's reason for missing the Met Gala wasn't genuine and was only an excuse for the Lakers' loss to the Timberwolves.

One person wrote, "Wait what? People play sports on fully torn ACLs and you can't attend the Met Gala walking around on a MCL sprain? Who is letting you write these posts?"

Another tweep added, "Bro...quit with the charade. It's over till next year...and only like 3 people believe you. Jordan > James."

A third X user shared, "He had to let the world know why he lost 4-1 and keep up with the narrative that he's injured."

Meanwhile, some people initially thought LeBron's post was about his retirement and expressed their relief that it wasn't. One person wrote, "wtf I thought you were retiring, almost shed a tear."

Another person added, "Mr. James, you cannot SCARE us like that with such wording. We thought your reign of glory was over. We all wish you a speedy recovery king."

LeBron suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee during the fourth quarter of the Lakers' Game 5 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, a source told ESPN.

The injury, confirmed by an MRI last Thursday, has a recovery timeline of three to five weeks.

LeBron was hurt with 8:39 left when Donte DiVincenzo collided with his knee while setting a screen.

Though in visible pain, the father of three briefly exited before returning to finish the game, which ended in a 103-96 Lakers defeat.

Had there been a Game 6, LeBron likely would've missed his first playoff game due to injury.

Despite being 40 years old, LeBron continues to put up huge performances in the NBA and was instrumental in the Lakers finishing third in the Western Conference. However, after their disappointing playoff loss to the Wolves, there were calls for his retirement.

Yet, the King may not be saying goodbye to the sport just yet, as NBA reporter Dave McMenamin noted during an episode of the "Dan Patrick Show" that the legend's son, Bronny James, implied that his dad was not done yet.

McMenamin shared, "I talked to Bronny about his favorite memories from the year, and he mentioned the surreal idea of going to work with his dad, and he said, 'I look forward to that for years to come.'"

Meanwhile, LeBron also spoke to reporters about his future after the loss to the Timberwolves. He said, "I don't know. I don't have an answer to that."

LeBron said he will decide on his retirement with those closest to him. He explained, "Something I’ll sit down with my family, my wife, and my support group and just kind of talk through it and see what happens. Just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play."

The King concluded, "I don’t know the answer to that right now, to be honest. So, we’ll see."