{"id":699061,"date":"2026-04-05T04:38:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T04:38:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/699061\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T04:38:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T04:38:21","slug":"retired-nba-star-offers-lakers-his-services-following-awful-injury-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/699061\/","title":{"rendered":"Retired NBA Star Offers Lakers His Services Following Awful Injury News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Suddenly, the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a>‘ season can be summed up by JAY-Z’s iconic “A Week Ago<\/a>” line, “It was all good just a week ago.”<\/p>\n

Now, the Lakers are in such a disadvantageous position that Dwight Howard is taking pity.<\/p>\n

“[Let me know] if I need to come out of retirement,” Howard posted on X<\/a> (formerly Twitter) alongside a photoshop of him in a No. 39 Lakers jersey.<\/p>\n

Howard, 40, played for the Lakers twice (2012-13 and 2021-22) during his Hall of Fame<\/a> 18-season NBA career. The eight-time All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year has not played since April 8, 2022. Howard officially announced his retirement<\/a> on March 12.<\/p>\n

Nice gesture.<\/p>\n

Not what the Lakers want to hear right now.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sure, last Saturday, the Lakers had just received news that All-NBA<\/a> and All-Star guard Luka Doncic would be suspended for one game<\/a> for his 16th technical foul of the season. <\/p>\n

But Doncic served that suspension last Monday and was back by Wednesday \u2014\u00a0scoring 42 points and dishing 12 assists in a dominant 127-113 win over Cleveland. With that, the Lakers finished March with a 15-2 record, including a nine-game winning streak. Doncic’s production was on par<\/a> with the likes of the late Kobe Bryant<\/a> and Michael Jordan<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Then, Doncic went down in a heap of pain<\/a> during the third quarter of the Lakers’ 139-96 loss to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night. He exited in the third quarter and did not return. On Friday, an MRI revealed Doncic had suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain<\/a>. <\/p>\n

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Doncic will be “out definitely,” writing<\/a>, “He will miss the remainder of the regular season and his status is uncertain beyond that.”<\/p>\n

That was bad enough for Lakers Nation. Somehow, it got worse.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, the Lakers announced that starting guard Austin Reaves has a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury<\/a>, which Charania reported will likely sideline Reaves for four to six weeks. <\/p>\n

Doncic and Reaves have been the Lakers’ top two scorers, as perennial All-Star LeBron James has embraced a reduced offensive role in his NBA-record 23rd season.<\/p>\n

Despite missing the Lakers’ final five regular-season games, Doncic will win his second career NBA scoring title. Reaves has averaged a career-high 23.3 points this season.<\/p>\n

Los Angeles (50-27) will close out the regular season against Dallas (April 5), Oklahoma City (April 7), Golden State (April 9), Phoenix (April 10), and Utah (April 12). The Lakers lead Denver (50-28) by only half a game for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, though they hold the tiebreaker if it comes to that.<\/p>\n

The NBA playoffs are set to start on April 18.<\/p>\n