"She just lost my vote": Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' tweet draws criticism after Lakers' playoff exit 

The night could not have turned any worse for Los Angeles Lakers fans. The 17-time winner and one of the favorites for the competition suffered heartbreak after being dumped out of the NBA Playoffs by defending champions the Denver Nuggets.

With just one win from their first-round playoff series, LeBron James and his team were already left requiring a do-or-die to reach the second round. But any long-winded permutations were put to bed after they were beaten by Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets on Monday night.

Following the game, a tweet sent out by Karen Bass, 43rd Mayor of Los Angeles, got a lot of attention.

“Tough season, but at least we won the in season tournament!,” the LA Mayor’s official account wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).

When an avalanche of criticism followed from NBA fans, the tweet was hastily deleted and replaced with another post.

“You left it all on the floor — thank you @Lakers”

The since-deleted tweet has undoubtedly sparked a fire in the NBA world.

NBA analysts and fans alike couldn’t help but not keep calm about the matter.

“I'm not sure what to say except that this is a real tweet from LA's mayor,” NBA analyst Rachel Nichols tweeted.

“She just lost my vote, and I don't even live in LA,” one fan wrote

While another comment read, “she definitely didn't grow up as a Laker fan with a crazy post like this Rachel!”

And one user went on to chime, “she’s a Nuggets fan 100%. Got my vote!”

Another fan highlighted, “The in season tournament, lol. You are funny @MayorOfLA. That is not a real trophy. The real trophy is the @NBA championship trophy.”

What's next for Lakers after playoff exit?

With the Lakers heading for an early off-season, Jeanie Buss faces many questions and few answers as LeBron James enters the twilight of his legendary career. It's hard to find a world where the Lakers aren’t surrounded by a lot of rumors this offseason.

There are many rumors hinting at a coaching change. There is a slight chance that Jeanie Buss would let Darvin Ham mount a re-run with the team. Since winning the 2020 championship, the Lakers haven't reached the second round of the playoffs except for their Western Conference Finals appearance in 2022.

They should use all their power to retain LeBron James, who’s averaging 25.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds. These numbers are only matched by Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic, making him vital to their offensive firepower in the competitive Western Conference playoff picture. Additionally, his global fame and immense popularity remain invaluable assets to the franchise.