"It's really a crime" - LeBron James' former Lakers teammate makes bold demand for roster spot with no-filter message

One of LeBron James' former teammates from the 2020 LA Lakers went off on social media to call out teams not giving him a chance. Quinn Cook, who has been out of the NBA since 2021, delivered a message about roster spots ahead of the 2025-26 season.

In a post on his Instagram stories, Cook shared a message about not being on a roster spot right now. He most recently played for the Fujian Sturgeons in the Chinese Basketball Association last season. He averaged 16.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 12 games for the Sturgeons.

"It's really a crime I'm not on a roster right now," Cook wrote. "Ask around. The real ones know wassup w/ me."

Quinn Cook shared this on his Instagram stories. (Photo: @qcook323 on IG)

Quinn Cook has not been in the NBA since playing seven games for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2020-21 season. Cook continued his career overseas, playing in Russia, China, Puerto Rico and Saudi Arabia.

The 32-year-old guard is currently a free agent and is a proven winner on two levels of basketball. He has an NCAA championship with Duke in 2015 and two NBA championships. He won his first title in 2018 as part of the Golden State Warriors.

Cook won his second in 2020 as a teammate of LeBron James and Anthony Davis for the LA Lakers inside the NBA bubble. However, he only played 23 games between the Lakers and Cavaliers in his final season in the league.

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Quinn Cook on playing with LeBron James and Steph Curry

Quinn Cook on playing with LeBron James and Steph Curry. (Photo: IMAGN)

Quinn Cook is one of the few players in NBA history to be teammates with LeBron James and Steph Curry. Cook won a championship with both players, so he's incredibly fortunate.

Speaking on the "Jefe Island" podcast last year, Cook was asked to differentiate James and Curry as teammates. The Duke product felt more pressure playing with "The King" because they are in Los Angeles.

"Obviously, LeBron, like, the pressure that, you know, being his teammate, like, if you miss two shots in a row, like, you’re going to be on 'First Take' tomorrow," Cook said, according to Sports Illustrated. "You know, saying that you need to be traded, he’s not good, blah, blah, blah. You got the pressure. Just every game is just, you know, that’s what LeBron brings."

As for teaming up with Curry, there wasn't any pressure until the Warriors signed DeMarcus Cousins and the Draymond Green-Kevin Durant spat happened.