"Bro blatantly lied for no reason lol" - Lakers fans go berserk as LeBron James is shockingly listed as doubtful for game against Bulls

LeBron James could make a shocking return to the LA Lakers lineup against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. "King James" had been out because of a tendon injury he sustained during the Lakers' 111-108 win over the Dallas Mavericks on February 26.

James was ruled out indefinitely. Multiple reports suggested that James could return with a handful of games left in the regular season.

Reports suggested the four-time MVP was recently re-evaluated on March 23. According to ESPN, James was eyeing to return in the last three games of the regular season.

However, the Lakers superstar denied those reports, saying he didn't get evaluated or set a target date for his return. However, James did hint that he was making an intense push to return as soon as possible. James said he worked out thrice a day, hoping to return to the court at full strength.

Rumors, reports and LeBron James' tweet certainly didn't suggest that he would return as soon as Sunday against the Chicago Bulls at home. However, the LA Lakers surprisingly listed him as doubtful in their latest injury report.

Some fans hilariously called out James for denying reports about his imminent return. One fan wrote:

"Lebron legit acted like all those “sources” came out of thin air. Bro blatantly lied for no reason lol"

Meanwhile, the Lakers faithful were too excited about the situation as the team recently reached the .500 mark for the first time since January 2022. The Lakers are vying to finish as a top-six seed, and LeBron James' return bolsters their chances of doing so. Here are some of the best reactions from Lakers fans online:

LeBron James' imminent return puts LA Lakers in contention for deep playoff push

The LA Lakers reached the .500 mark with a 116-111 win over the OKC Thunder on Friday. LA is 37-37 for the season, tied for the seventh seed in the Western Conference, two games behind the fourth spot and 1.5 games behind the fifth and sixth seeds.

Direct qualification to the playoffs is well within their reach, with eight games left in the season. The Lakers made a remarkable turnaround after the deadline. They were out of the play-in bracket before their new-look roster featuring D'Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley debuted.

Since then, the Lakers have boasted a 12-6 record, tied for fourth-best among all 30 teams. Surprisingly, LeBron James has played only thrice during that stretch (all wins). The Lakers have struggled to stay afloat, let alone win games at a high clip in the past without the four-time MVP, making their winning run an even more incredible achievement.

The Lakers have arguably put their best team around LeBron since his arrival in 2018. His imminent return puts them in contention to potentially make a finals run. The Western Conference is wide open, and if LeBron is 100% healthy along with Anthony Davis, the Lakers seem to have what it takes to beat the top-seeded team in their conference.

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